VAG  AB  ONDI  A 


A  LOVE  STORY 

BY 

FRANCES  HODGSON  BURNETT 


VAGABONDIA 


SCRIBNER'S  POPULAR  SERIES  OF 

COPYRIGHT  NOVELS 

WILLIAM  WALDORF  ASTOR  .  VALENTINO:  AN  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE 

ARLO  BATES A  WHEEL  OF  FIRE 

H.  H.  BOYESEN FALCONBERG 

MRS.  BURNETT THAT  LASS  o'  LOWRIE'S 

"  " VAGABONDIA:  A  LOVE  STORY 

G.  W.  CABLE JOHN  MARCH,  SOUTHERNER 

EDITH  CARPENTER YOUR  MONEY  OR  YOUR  LIFE 

EDWARD  EGGLESTON THE  CIRCUIT  RIDER 

HAROLD  FREDERIC  THE  LAWTON  GIRL 

ROBERT  GRANT FACE  TO  FACE 

MARION  HARLAND  .  .  JUDITH:  A  CHRONICLE  OF  OLD  VIRGINIA 
JOEL  CHANDLER  HARRIS  .  .  FREE  JOE  AND  OTHER  SKETCHES 

JULIAN  HAWTHORNE A  FOOL  OF  NATURE 

J.  G.  HOLLAND  .  .        .  SEVENOAKS:  A  STORY  OF  TO-DAY 

"        .        .       THE  BAY  PATH:  A  TALE  OF  COLONIAL  LIFE 

.  ARTHUR  BONNICASTLE:  AN  AMERICAN  STORY 

Miss  GILBERT'S  CAREER 

11  " NICHOLAS  MINTURN 

COM'R  J.  D.  J.  KELLEY A  DESPERATE  CHANCE 

G.  P.  LATHROP AN  ECHO  OF  PASSION 

JULIA  MAGRUDER ,  .  ACROSS  THE  CHASM 

BRANDER  MATTHEWS THE  LAST  MEETING 

DONALD  G.  MITCHELL DREAM  LIFE 

"  ....  REVERIES  OF  A  BACHELOR 

HOWARD  PYLE  WITHIN  THE  CAPES 

"  Q  "  (A.  T.  QUILLER-COUCH)  .  .  .  THE  SPLENDID  SPUR 
"  "  ...  THE  DELECTABLE  DUCHY 

R.  L.  STEVENSON THE  EBB-TIDE 

"  TREASURE  ISLAND 

"  THE  WRONG  Box 

F.  J.  STIMSON GUERNDALE 

FRANK  R.  STOCKTON RUDDER  GRANGE 

"  ".....        THE  LADY  OR  THE  TIGER 


VAGABONDIA 


A  LOVE  STORY 


BY 


FRANCES  HODGSON  BURNETT 

AUTHOR  OF  "THAT  LASS  o'  LOWRIES,"  "LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY,"  ETC. 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1899 


COPYRIGHTS 

DEACON  AND  PETERSON,  1873.     PORTER  AND  COATES.  1877 
JAMES  R.  OSGOOD  AND  COMPANY,  1883 

COPYRIGHT,  1889,  BY 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 


All  rights  reserved 


MANHATTAN  PRESS 

474  W.  BROADWAY 

NEW  YORK 


AUTHOR'S  NOTE. 


rTlHIS  my  first  novel  was  written   several  years 

•*-   ago,  and   published  (without   any   revision   by 

me)    first   in   a   ladies'   magazine   under    the   name 

of  "Dorothea/'    and   afterwards    in   book    form   as 

"  Dolly." 

For  reasons  not  necessary  to  state  here,  all  control 
over  the  book  had  passed  from  my  hands.  It  has 
been  for  some  time  out  of  print ;  but,  having  at  last 
obtained  control  of  the  copyright,  I  have  made  such 
corrections  as  seemed  advisable,  given  it  the  name  I 
originally  intended  for  it,  and  now  issue  it  through 
my  regular  publishers. 

FRANCES  HODGSON  BURNETT. 
WASHINGTON,  November,  1883. 


912801 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  page 

IN  WHICH  WE   HOLD   COUNSEL        .......         7 


CHAPTER  II. 
IN  THE  CAMPS  OP  THE  PHILISTINES 34 

CHAPTER  III. 
IN  WHICH  THE  TRAIN  is  LAID 59 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  LILY  OF  THE  FIELD 85 

CHAPTER  V. 
IN  WHICH  THE  PHILISTINES  BE  UPON  us 108 

CHAPTER  VI. 
"WANTED,  A  YOUNG  PERSON" 132 

CHAPTER  VII. 
IN  WHICH  A  SPARK  is  APPLIED 151 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE  BEGINNING  OP  THE  ENDING 171 

CHAPTER  IX. 

IN  WHICH  WE  ARE   UNORTHODOX  192 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X.  p&ge 

IN  SLIPPERY  PLACES 209 

CHAPTER  XL 

IN   WHICH   COMES   A  WlND  WHICH   BLOWS   NOBODY  GOOD   226 

CHAPTER  XII. 

IN  WHICH  THERE  IS  AN  EXPLOSION 248 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  DEAD  LETTER 285 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
SEVEN  LONG  YEARS,  BELOVED 304 

CHAPTER  XV. 

IN   WHICH   WE   TRY   SWITZERLAND 321 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

IP  YOU  SHOULD  DIE 338 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

DO  YOU   KNOW  THAT  SHE  IS   DYING? 354 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
GRIF! 369 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

ROSE  COLOR. .....  380 


VAGABONDIA. 

CHAPTER  I. 

IN   WHICH  WE   HOLD  COUNSEL. 

IT  was  a  nondescript  sort  of  a  room,  taking  it  alto 
gether.  A  big,  sunny  room,  whose  once  hand 
some  papering  and  corniceing  had  grown  dingy,  and 
whose  rich  carpeting  had  lost  its  color  and  pile  in 
places,  and  yet  asserted  its  superiority  to  its  sur 
roundings  with  an  air  of  lost  grandeur  in  every 
shabby  medallion.  There  were  pictures  in  abun 
dance  on  the  walls,  and  more  than  one  of  them  were 
gems  in  their  way,  despite  the  evidence  all  bore  to 
being  the  work  of  amateurs.  The  tables  were  carved 
elaborately,  and  the  faded,  brocaded  chairs  were  of 
the  order  pouf,  and  as  inviting  as  they  were  disrep 
utable  in  appearance ;  there  was  manuscript  music 
among  the  general  litter,  a  guitar  hung  from  the  wall 
by  a  tarnished  blue  and  silver  ribbon,  and  a  violin 
lay  on  the  piano ;  and  yet,  notwithstanding  the  air  of 
free-and-easy  disorder,  one  could  hardly  help  recog- 


8  ,       *  *  ,VA$ABONDIA. 

nizing  a. sort  of  vagabond  !3omfort  and  luxury  in  the 
•Boliehlian  surroundings.  It  was  so  very  evident  that 
the  owners  must  enjoy  life  in  an  easy,  light-hearted, 
though  perhaps  light-headed  fashion  ;  and  it  was 
also  so  very  evident  that  their  light  hearts  and  light 
heads  rose  above  their  knowledge  of  their  light 
purses. 

They  were  congregated  together  now,  holding  a 
grand  family  council  around  the  centre-table,  and 
Dolly  was  the  principal  feature,  as  usual ;  and,  em 
barrassing  as  the  subject  of  said  council  was,  not  one 
of  them  looked  as  if  it  was  other  than  a  most  ex 
cellent  joke  that  Dolly,  having  been  invited  into 
the  camps  of  the  Philistines,  should  find  she  had 
nothing  to  put  on  to  grace  the  occasion.  And  as  to 
Dolly,  —  well,  that  young  person  stood  in  the  midst 
of  them  in  her  shabby,  Frenchy  little  hat,  slapping 
one  pink  palm  with  a  shabby,  shapely  kid  glove,  her 
eyes  alight,  her  comical  dismay  and  amusement  dis 
playing  itself  even  in  the  arch  of  her  brows. 

"  And  so  the  Philistine  leader  pounced  upon  me 
herself,"  she  was  saying.  "  You  know  the  '  Ark,' 
Phil  ?  Well,  they  were  all  in  the  Ark,  —  the  Eev. 
Bilberry  in  front,  and  the  boys  and  girls  filling  up 
the  corners ;  so  you  may  imagine  the  effect  produced 
when  they  stopped,  and  Lady  Augusta  bent  over  the 
side  to  solemnly  proclaim  her  intention  of  inviting 
me  to  partake  of  coffee  and  conversation  on  Friday 


VAGABONDIA.  9 

night,  with  an  air  of  severely  wondering  whether  I 
would  dare  to  say  'No!" 

"  Why  did  n't  you  say  it  ? "  said  Aime'e.  "  You 
know  it  will  be  an  awful  bore,  Dolly.  Those  Bil 
berry  clan  gatherings  always  are.  You  have  said  so 
yourself  often  enough." 

"Of  course  I  have,"  returned  Dolly.  "And  of 
course  it  will  be,  but  it  would  be  dreadfully  indis 
creet  to  let  the  Bilberry  element  know  I  thought 
so.  The  Bilberry  doors  once  closed  against  us,  where 
is  our  respectability,  and  Phil's  chance  of  success 
among  the  Philistines  ?  It  is  bad  enough,  of  course, 
but  there  is  reason  to  be  thankful  that  I  am  the 
only  victim.  The  rest  of  you  would  be  sure  to 
blunder  into  the  B.  B.  B.'s  [meaning  the  Bilberry 
black  books],  and  that  would  be  an  agreeable  state 
of  affairs.  'Toinette,  look  at  Tod,  he  is  sitting  in 
the  coal-box  eating  Phil's  fusees." 

In  'Toinette  we  find  Mrs.  Phil,  a  handsome  crea 
ture,  young  enough  to  have  been  in  the  school-room, 
but  with  the  face  and  figure  of  a  Greek  goddess,  and 
a  pair  of  eyes  lovely  enough  to  haunt  one's  dreams 
as  a  memory  for  a  lifetime,  and  as  to  the  rest,  an 
inconsistent  young  madcap,  whose  beauty  and  spirit 
seemed  only  a  necessary  part  of  the  household 
arrangements,  and  whose  son  and  heir,  in  the  person 
of  the  enterprising  Tod  (an  abbreviate  of  Theodore), 
was  the  source  of  unlimited  domestic  enjoyment  and 


10  VAGABONDIA. 

the  object  of  much  indiscreet  adoration.  It  was  just 
like  Philip  Crewe,  this  marrying  on  probabilities ; 
and  it  was  equally  like  the  rest  of  them  to  accept 
the  state  of  affairs  as  an  excellent  joke,  and  regard 
the  result  as  an  exquisite  piece  of  pleasantry. 
Toinette  herself  was  only  another  careless,  unworldly 
addition  to  the  family  circle,  and  enjoyed  her  position 
as  thoroughly  as  the  rest  did ;  and  as  to  Tod,  what 
a  delicate  satire  upon  responsibilities  Tod  was,  and 
how  tranquilly  he  comported  himself  under  a  regime 
which  admitted  of  free  access  into  dangerous  places, 
and  a  lack  of  personal  restraint  which  allowed  him 
all  the  joys  the  infantile  mind  can  revel  in  ! 

At  Dolly's  exclamation  'Toinette  rushed  at  him  in 
his  stronghold,  and  extricated  him  from  the  coal-box 
with  demonstrations  of  dismay. 

"  Look  at  his  white  dress  !  "  she  wailed  pathetically, 
"  I  only  put  it  on  a  few  minutes  ago ;  and  he  has 
eaten  two  dozen  fusees,  if  this  was  n't  an  empty  box 
when  he  found  it.  I  hope  they  won't  disagree  with 
him,  Phil." 

"  They  won't,"  said  Phil,  composedly.  "  Nothing 
does.  Dust  him,  and  proceed  to  business.  I  want 
to  hear  the  rest  of  Dolly's  story." 

"I  think"  said  Mollie,  "that  he  ate  Shem  and 
Ham  this  morning,  for  I  could  only  find  Japheth  after 
he  had  been  playing  with  his  Noah's  Ark.  Go  on, 
Dolly." 


VAGABONDIA.  11 

"Wait  until  I  have  taken  off  my  things,"  said 
Dolly,  "  and  then  we  '11  talk  it  over.  We  must  talk 
it  over,  you  know,  if  I  am  to  go." 

She  took  off  her  hat,  and  then  laid  her  shawl 
aside,  —  a  little  scarlet  shawl,  draped  about  her  fig 
ure  and  tossed  over  one  shoulder  smartly,  and  by  no 
means  ungracefully,  —  and  so  stood  revealed  ;  and  it 
must  be  admitted  she  was  well  worth  looking  at. 
Not  a  beauty,  but  a  fresh,  wholesome  little  body, 
with  a  real  complexion,  an  abundance  of  hair,  and 
large-irised,  wide-awake  eyes,  changeable  as  to  color, 
because  capricious  in  expression ;  the  sort  of  girl,  in 
fact,  who  would  be  likely  to  persuade  people  ulti 
mately  that,  considering  circumstances,  absolute 
beauty  could  be  easily  dispensed  with,  and,  upon  the 
whole,  would  rather  detract  from  the  general  charm 
of  novelty,  which,  in  her  case,  reigned  supreme. 

"  It  is  n't  the  mere  fact  of  being  a  beauty  that  makes 
women  popular,"  she  would  say ;  "  it 's  the  being 
able  to  persuade  people  that  you  are  one,  —  or  better 
than  one.  Don't  some  historians  tell  us  that  Cleo 
patra  had  red  hair  and  questionable  eyes,  and  yet  she 
managed  to  blind  the  world  so  completely,  that  no 
one  is  sure  whether  it  is  true  or  not,  and  to  this  day 
the  generality  of  people  are  inclined  to  believe  that 
it  was  her  supernatural  beauty  that  dragged  Marc 
Antony  to  the  dust  at  her  feet." 

AimeVs  face  was  more  nearly  perfect  than  Dolly's ; 


12  VAGABONDIA. 

Mollie's  was  more  imposing,  child  as  she  was ;  'Toi- 
nette  threw  her  far  into  the  shade  in  the  matter  of 
statuesque  splendor;  but  still  it  was  Dolly  who  did 
all  the  difficult  things,  and  had  divers  tragic  adven 
tures  with  questionable  adorers,  whose  name  was  le 
gion,  and  who  were  a  continual  source  of  rejoicing 
and  entertainment  to  the  family. 

Having  tossed  hat  and  shawl  on  to  the  table,  among 
the  manuscript  music,  paint-brushes,  and  palettes, 
this  young  person  slipped  into  the  most  comfortable 
chair  near  the  fire,  and,  having  waited  for  the  rest 
to  seat  themselves,  proceeded  to  open  the  council. 
Mollie,  who  was  sixteen,  large,  fair,  beautiful,  and  not 
as  tidy  as  she  might  have  been,  dropped  into  a  not 
ungraceful  position  at  her  feet.  Aimee,  who  was  a 
little  maiden  with  a  tender,  spirituelle  face,  and  all 
the  forethought  of  the  family,  sat  near,  with  some 
grave  perplexity  in  her  expression.  'Toinette  and 
Tod,  posed  in  the  low  nursery-chair,  —  the  girl's  firm, 
white  arm  flung  around  the  child,  —  swung  lightly 
to  and  fro,  fit  models  for  an  artist. 

"  You  would  make  a  first-class  picture,  —  the  lot  of 
you,"  commented  Phil,  amicably. 

"  Never  mind  the  picture,"  said  Mollie,  drawing  her 
disreputable  slippers  up  under  her  wrapper.  "  We 
want  to  hear  how  Dolly  thinks  of  going  to  the  Bil- 
berrys'.  Oh,  Dolly,  how  heavenly  it  would  be  if  you 
had  a  turquoise-blue  sat —  " 


VAGABONDIA.  13 

"  Heavenly  ! "  interrupted  Dolly.  "  I  should  think 
so.  Particularly  celestial  for  Lady  Augusta,  who 
looks  mahogany-colored  in  it,  and  peculiarly  ce 
lestial  for  a  poor  relation  from  Vagabondia.  It 
would  be  as  much  as  my  reputation  was  worth.  She 
would  never  forgive  me.  You  must  learn  discretion, 
Mollie." 

"  There  is  some  consolation  in  knowing  you  can't 
get  it,"  said  'Toinette.  "You  won't  be  obliged  to 
deny  yourself  or  be  indiscreet.  But  what  are  you 
going  to  wear,  Dolly  ? " 

"  That  is  for  the  council  to  decide,"  Dolly  returned. 
"  First,  we  must  settle  on  what  we  want,  and  then  we 
must  settle  on  the  way  to  get  it." 

"  Other  people  go  the  other  way  about  it,"  said 
Aimee. 

"  If  we  were  only  rich  ! "  said  Mollie. 

"  But  it  is  a  most  glaringly  patent  fact  that  we  are 
not,"  said  Dolly.  "  There  is  one  thing  certain,  how 
ever, —  it  must  be  white.*' 

"  A  simple  white  muslin,"  suggested  'Toinette, 
struggling  in  the  grasp  of  the  immortal  Tod,  —  "a 
simple  white  muslin,  with  an  equally  simple  wild 
flower  in  your  hair,  a  la  Amanda  Fitzallan.  How  the 
Dowager  Bilberry  would  like  that." 

"And  a  wide  blue  sash,"  suggested  Mollie.  "And 
the  sleeves  tied  up  with  bows.  And  tucks,  Dolly. 
Girls,  just  think  of  Dolly  making  great  eyes  at  an 


14  VAGABONDIA. 

eligible  Philistine,  in  white  muslin  and  a  sash  and 
tucks ! " 

She  was  a  hardened  little  sinner,  this  Dolly,  her  only 
redeeming  point  being  that  she  was  honest  enough 
about  her  iniquities,  —  so  honest  that  they  were  really 
not  such  terrible  iniquities  after  all,  and  were  re 
garded  as  rather  good  fun  by  the  hdbituds  of  Vaga- 
bondia  proper.  She  laughed  just  as  heartily  as  the 
rest  of  them  at  Mollie's  speech.  She  could  no  more 
resist  the  temptation  of  making  great  eyes  at  eligible 
Philistines  than  she  could  help  making  them  at  the 
entertaining  but  highly  ineligible  Bohemians,  who 
continually  frequented  Phil's  studio.  The  fear  of 
man  was  not  before  her  eyes,  and  the  life  she  had  led 
had  invested  her  with  a  whimsical  yet  shrewd  knowl 
edge  of  human  nature,  and  a  business-like  habit  of 
looking  matters  in  the  face,  which  made  her  some 
thing  of  a  novelty ;  and  when  is  not  novelty  irresisti 
ble  ?  And  as  to  the  masculine  Philistines,  —  well, 
the  audacity  of  Dolly's  successes  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  enemy's  camp  had  been  the  cause  of  much  stately 
demoralization  of '  Philistine  battalions. 

At  her  quietest  she  created  small  sensations  and 
attracted  attention ;  but  in  her  wicked  moods,  when 
she  was  in  a  state  of  mind  to  prompt  4her  to  revenge 
the  numerous  small  slights  and  overt  acts  of  lofty 
patronage  she  met  with,  the  dowagers  stood  in  some 
secret  awe  of  her  propensities,  and  not  without  rea- 


VAGABONDIA.  15 

fcion.  Woe  betide  the  daring  matron  who  measured 
swords  with  her  at  such  times.  Great  would  be  her 
confusion  and  dire  her  fall  before  the  skirmish  was 
over,  and  nothing  was  more  certain  than  that  she 
would  retire  from  the  field  a  wiser  if  not  a  better 
woman.  After  being  triumphantly  routed  with  great 
slaughter  on  two  or  three  occasions,  the  enemy  had 
discovered  this,  and  decided  mentally  that  it  was 
more  discreet  to  let  "  little  Miss  Crewe  "  alone,  con 
sidering  that,  though  it  was  humiliating  to  be  routed, 
even  by  one  of  their  own  forces,  it  was  infinitely  more 
so  to  be  routed  by  an  innocent-looking  young  person, 
whose  position  was  questionable,  and  who  actually 
owed  her  vague  shadow  of  respectability  to  her  dis 
tant  but  august  relative,  the  Lady  Augusta  Decima 
Crewe  Bilberry,  wife  of  the  Eev.  Marmaduke  Sholto 
Bilberry,  and  mother  of  the  plenteous  crop  of  young 
Bilberrys,  to  whom  little  Miss  Crewe  was  music 
teacher  and  morning  governess. 

So  it  was  that  Mollie's  joke  about  the  tucks  and 
white  muslin  gained  additional  point  from  the  family 
recollection  of  past  experiences. 

"  But,"  said  Dolly,  when  the  laugh  had  subsided, 
"  it  won't  do  to  talk  nonsense  all  day.  Here 's  where 
we  stand,  you  know.  Coffee  and  conversation  on 
Friday  night  on  one  side,  and  nothing  but  my  drag 
gled  old  green  tarlatan  on  the  other,  and  it 's  Tues 
day  now." 


16  VAGABONDIA. 

"  And  the  family  impecuniosity  being  a  fact  well 
established  in  the  family  mind,"  began  Phil,  with 
composure. 

"  But  that 's  nonsense,"  interrupted  Aimee.  "  And, 
as  Dolly  says,  nonsense  won't  do  now.  But,"  with  a 
quaint  sigh,  "  we  always  do  talk  nonsense." 

But  here  a  slight  diversion  was  created.  Mrs.  Phil 
jumped  up,  with  an  exclamation  of  delight,  and,  drop 
ping  Tod  on  to  Mollie's  lap,  disappeared  through  the 
open  door. 

"  I  will  be  back  in  a  minute,"  she  called  back  to 
them,  as  she  ran  up-stairs.  "  I  have  just  thought  of 
something." 

"  Girls,"  said  Mollie,  "  it 's  her  white  merino." 

And  so  it  was.  In  a  few  minutes  she  reappeared 
with  it,  —  a  heap  of  soft  white  folds  in  her  arms,  and 
a  yard  or  so  of  the  train  dragging  after  her  upon  the 
carpet,  —  the  one  presentable  relic  of  a  once  incon 
sistently  elaborate  bridal  trousseau,  at  present  in 
a  rather  tumbled  and  rolled-up  condition,  but  still 
white  and  soft  and  thick,  and  open  to  unlimited 
improvement. 

"  I  had  forgotten  all  about  it,"  she  said,  trium 
phantly.  "  I  have  never  needed  it  at  all,  and  I  knew 
I  never  should  when  I  bought  it,  but  it  looked  so 
nice  when  I  saw  it  that  I  could  n't  help  buying  it.  I 
once  thought  of  cutting  it  up  into  things  for  Tod ;  but 
it  seems  to  me,  Dolly,  it 's  what  you  want  exactly, 


VAGABOND1A.  17 

and  Tod  can  trust  to  Providence,  —  things  always 
come  somehow." 

It  was  quite  characteristic  of  Vagabondia  that  there 
should  be  more  rejoicing  over  this  one  stray  sheep  of 
good  luck  than  there  would  have  been  over  any 
ninety  and  nine  in  the  ordinary  folds  of  more  pros 
perous  people.  And  Mrs.  Phil  rejoiced  as  heartily  as 
the  rest.  It  was  her  turn  now,  and  she  was  as  ready 
to  sacrifice  her  white  merino  on  the  shrine  of  the 
household  impecuniosity  as  she  would  be  to  borrow 
Dolly's  best  bonnet,  or  Mollie's  shoes,  or  Aimde's 
gloves,  when  occasion  demanded  such  a  course.  So 

O  ' 

the  merino  was  laid  upon  the  table,  and  the  council 
rose  to  examine,  comment,  and  suggest. 

"  A  train,"  said  Dolly,  concisely ;  "  no  trimming,  and 
swan's-down.  Even  the  Bilberry  could  n't  complain 
of  that,  I  'm  sure." 

Mollie,  resting  her  smooth  white  elbows  on  the 
table  in  a  comfortably  lounging  posture,  regarded  the 
garment  with  great  longing  in  her  drowsy  brown  eyes. 

"  I  wish  it  was  white  satin,"  she  observed,  some 
what  irrelevantly,  "  and  I  was  going  to  wear  it  at  a 
real  ball,  with  real  lace,  you  know,  and  a  court  train, 
and  flowers,  and  a  fan." 

Dolly  looked  down  at  her  handsome  childish  face 
good-naturedly.  She  was  such  an  incongruous  mix 
ture  of  beauty  and  utter  simplicity,  this  easy-going 
baby  of  sixteen,  that  Dolly  could  not  have  helped 


18  VAGABONDIA. 

liking  her  heartily  under  any  circumstances,  even 
supposing  there  had  been  no  tie  of  relationship  be 
tween  them. 

"  I  wish  it  was  white  satin  and  you  were  going  to 
wear  it,"  she  said.  "White  satin  is  just  the  sort  of 
thing  for  you,  Mollie.  Never  mind,  wait  until  the 
figurative  ship  comes  in." 

"And  in  the  interval/'  suggested  Aimee,  "put  a 
stitch  or  so  in  that  wrapper  of  yours.  It  has  been 
torn  for  a  week  now,  and  Tod  tumbles  over  it  half  a 
dozen  times  every  morning  before  breakfast." 

Mollie  cast  her  eyes  over  her  shoulder  to  give  it 
an  indifferent  glance  as  it  rested  on  the  faded  carpet 
behind  her. 

"  I  wish  Lady  Augusta  would  mend  things  before 
she  sends  them  to  us,"  she  said,  with  sublime  na'ivcttf, 
and  then,  at  the  burst  of  laughter  which  greeted  her 
words,  she  stopped  short,  staring  at  the  highly  en 
tertained  circle  with  widely  opened,  innocent  eyes. 
"  What  are  you  laughing  at  ? "  she  said.  "  I  'm  sure 
she  might.  She  is  always  preaching  about  liking 
to  have  something  to  occupy  her  time,  and  it  would 
be  far  more  charitable  of  her  to  spend  her  time  in 
that  way  than  in  persistently  going  into  poor  houses 
where  the  people  don't  want  her,  and  reading  tracts 
to  them  that  they  don't  want  to  hear." 

Dolly's  appreciation  of  the  audacity  of  the  idea 
reached  a  climax  in  an  actual  shriek  of  delight. 


VAGABONDIA.  19 

*  If  I  had  five  pounds,  which  I  have  not,  and  never 
shall  have,"  she  said, "  I  would  freely  give  it  just  to 
see  Lady  Augusta  hear  you  say  that,  my  dear.  Five 
pounds  !  I  would  give  ten  —  twenty  —  fifty,  if  need 
be.  It  would  be  such  an  exquisite  joke." 

But  Mollie  did  not  regard  the  matter  in  this  light. 
To  her  unsophisticated  mind  Lady  Augusta  repre 
sented  nothing  more  than  periodical  boredom  in  the 
shape  of  occasional  calls,  usually  made  unexpectedly, 
when  the  house  was  at  its  worst,  and  nobody  was  es 
pecially  tidy,  —  calls  invariably  enlivened  by  severe 
comments  upon  the  evil  propensities  of  poor  relations 
in  general,  and  the  shocking  lack  of  respectability  in 
this  branch  of  the  order  in  particular.  Worldly  wis 
dom  was  not  a  family  trait,  Dolly's  half- whimsical 
assumption  of  it  being  the  only  symptom  of  the  ex 
istence  of  such  a  gift,  and  Mollie  was  the  most  sub 
limely  thoughtless  of  the  lot.  Mrs.  Phil  had  never 
been  guilty  of  a  discreet  act  in  her  life.  Phil  himself 
regarded  consequences  less  than  he  regarded  anything 
else,  and  Aimer's  childish  staidness  and  forethought 
had  certainly  not  an  atom  of  worldliness  in  it.  Ac 
cordingly,  Dolly  was  left  to  battle  with  society,  and 
now  and  then,  it  must  be  admitted,  the  result  of  her 
brisk  affrays  did  her  no  small  credit. 

For  a  very  short  space  of  time  the  merino  was  be 
ing  disposed  of  to  an  advantage  ;  Dolly  seating  her 
self  in  her  chair  again  to  renovate  the  skirt ;  Aimee 


20  VAGABONDIA. 

unpicking  the  bodice,  and  Mollie  looking  on  with, 
occasional  comments. 

"  Here  is  Griffith,"  she  said,  at  last,  glancing  over 
her  shoulder  at  a  figure  passing  the  window  ;  and  the 
next  minute  the  door  was  opened  without  ceremony, 
and  "  Grif "  made  his  appearance  upon  the  scene. 

Being  called  upon  to  describe  Griffith  Donne,  one 
would  hardly  feel  inclined  to  describe  him  as  being 
imposing  in  personal  appearance.  He  was  a  thin, 
undersized  young  man,  rather  out  at  elbows  and 
shabby  of  attire,  and  with  a  decided  air  of  Bohemia 
about  him ;  but  his  youthful  face  was  singularly  pleas 
ing  and  innocent,  and  his  long-lashed,  brown-black 
eyes  were  more  than  good-looking,  —  they  were  ab 
solutely  beautiful  in  a  soft,  pathetic  way,  —  beautiful 
as  the  eyes  of  the  loveliest  of  women. 

He  came  into  the  room  as  if  he  was  used  to  coming 
into  it  in  an  every-day  fashion ;  and  Dolly,  looking 
up,  gave  him  a  smile  and  a  nod. 

"  Ah,  you  are  all  here,  are  you  ?  "  he  said.  "  What 
is  on  hand  now  ?  What  is  all  this  white  stuff  for  ?  " 
And  he  drew  a  chair  up  close  by  Dolly's  side,  and 
lifted  the  merino  in  his  hand. 

"  For  Friday  night,"  answered  Aimee.  "  Bilberry's 
again,  Griffith.  Coffee  and  conversation  this  time." 

Griffith  looked  at  Dolly  inquiringly,  but  Dolly  only 
laughed  and  shrugged  her  plump  shoulders  wick 
edly. 


VAGABONDIA.  21 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  with  a  disapproving  air,  "  it 
ain't  true,  is  it,  Dolly  ?  You  are  not  going  to  make 
a  burnt-offering  of  yourself  on  the  Bilberry  shrine 
again,  are  you  ? " 

But  Dolly  only  laughed  the  more  as  she  took  the 
merino  from  him. 

"If  you  want  a  breadth  of  merino  to  hold,  take 
another  one,"  she  said.  "I  want  that.  And  as  to 
being  a  burnt-offering  on  the  shrine  of  Bilberry,  my 
dear  Griffith,  you  must  know  it  is  policy,"  and  imme 
diately  went  on  with  her  unpicking  again,  while  Grif 
fith,  bending  over  in  an  attitude  more  remarkable  for 
ease  than  grace,  looked  on  at  her  sharp  little  glancing 
scissors  with  an  appearance  of  great  interest. 

It  would  perhaps  be  as  well  to  pause  here  to  account 
for  this  young  man's  evident  freedom  in  the  family 
circle.  It  was  very  plain  that  he  was  accustomed  to 
coming  and  going  when  he  pleased,  and  it  was  easy 
to  be  adduced  from  his  manner  that,  to  him,  Dolly 
was  the  chief  attraction  in  the  establishment.  The 
fact  was,  he  was  engaged  to  Dolly,  and  had  been  en 
gaged  to  her  for  years,  and  in  all  probability,  unless 
his  prospects  altered  their  aspect,  would  be  engaged 
to  her  for  years  to  come.  In  past  time,  when  both 
were  absurdly  young,  and  ought  to  have  been  at 
school,  the  two  had  met,  —  an  impressionable,  good- 
natured,  well-disposed  couple  of  children,  who  fell 
in  love  with  each  other  unreasoningly  and  honestly, 


22  VAGABONDIA. 

giving  no  thought  to  the  future.  They  were  too  young 
to  be  married,  of  course,  and  indeed  had  not  troubled 
themselves  about  anything  so  matter  of  fact ;  they  had 
fallen  in  love,  and  enjoyed  it,  and,  strange  to  say,  had 
been  enjoying  it  ever  since,  and  falling  in  love  more 
deeply  every  day  of  their  affectionate,  inconsequent, 
free-and-easy  lives.  What  did  it  matter  to  them  that 
neither  owned  a  solitary  sixpence,  for  which  they  had 
not  a  thousand  uses  ?  What  did  it  matter  to  Dolly 
that  Griffith's  literary  career  had  so  far  been  so  unre- 
rnunerative  that  a  new  suit  is  as  an  event,  and  an 
extra  shilling  an  era  ?  What  did  it  matter  to  Griffith 
that  Dolly's  dresses  were  re-trimmed  and  re-turned  and 
re-furbished,  until  their  reappearance  with  the  various 
seasons  was  the  opening  of  a  High  Carnival  of  jokes  ? 
Love  is  not  a  matter  of  bread  and  butter  in  Vaga- 
bondia,  thank  Heaven  !  Love  is  left  to  Bohemia  as 
well  as  to  barren  Eespectability,  and,  as  Griffith  fre 
quently  observed  with  no  slight  enthusiasm,  "  When 
it  comes  to  figure,  where  's  the  feminine  Philistine 
whose  silks  and  satins  and  purple  and  fine  raiment 
fit  like  Dolly's  do  ? "  So  it  went  on,  and  the  two 
adored  each  other  with  mutual  simplicity,  and,  having 
their  little  quarrels,  always  made  them  up  again  with 
much  affectionate  remorse,  and,  scorning  the  pruden 
tial  advice  of  outsiders,  believed  in  each  other  and 
the  better  day  which  was  to  come,  when  one  or  the 
other  gained  worldly  goods  enough  to  admit  of  a 


VAGABONDIA.  23 

marriage  in  which  they  were  to  be  happy  in  their 
own  way, — which,  I  may  add,  was  a  way  simple  and 
tender,  unselfish  and  faithful,  enough. 

It  was  quite  evident,  however,  that  Griffith  was 
not  in  the  best  of  spirits  this  morning.  He  was  not 
as  sanguine  as  Dolly  by  nature,  and  outward  influ 
ences  tended  rather  to  depress  him  occasionally.  But 
he  never  was  so  low-spirited  that  Dolly  could  not 
cheer  him,  consequently  he  always  came  to  her  with 
his  troubles ;  and  to  her  credit,  be  it  said,  she  never 
failed  to  understand  and  deal  with  them  tenderly, 
commonplace  though  they  were.  So  she  understood 
Ms  mood  very  well  to-day.  Something  had  gone 
wrong  at  "  the  office."  ("  The  office  "  was  the  edito 
rial  den  which  swallowed  him  up,  and  held  him  in 
bondage  from  morning  until  night ;  appropriating  his 
labor  for  a  very  small  pecuniary  compensation,  too,  it 
may  be  added.)  "  Old  Flynn,"  as  the  principal  was 
respectfully  designated,  had  been  creating  one  of  his 
periodical  disturbances,  or  he  had  been  snubbed, 
which,  by  the  way,  was  not  a  rare  event,  and  to  poor 
Griffith  slights  were  stings  and  patronage  poison. 
He  could  not  laugh  at  the  enemy  and  scorn  discom 
fiture  as  Dolly  could,  and  the  consequence  of  an 
encounter  with  the  Philistines  on  his  part  was  usu 
ally  a  desperate  fit  of  low  spirits,  which  made  him 
wretched,  bitter,  and  gloomy  by  turns. 

This   morning   it  appeared   that   his   spirits    had 


24  VAGABONDIA. 

reached  their  lowest  ebb,  and  before  many  minutes 
had  passed  he  was  pouring  forth  his  tribulations  with 
much  frankness  and  simplicity.  Mr.  Griffith  Donne's 
principal  trial  was  the  existence  of  an  elderly  maiden 
aunt,  who  did  not  approve  of  him,  and  was  in  the  habit 
of  expressing  her  disapproval  in  lengthy  epistolary 
correspondence,  invariably  tending  to  severe  denuncia 
tion  of  his  mode  of  life,  and  also  invariably  terminating 
with  the  announcement  that  unless  he  "  desisted " 
(from  what,  or  in  what  manner,  not  specified)  she 
should  consider  it  her  bounden  duty  to  disinherit  him 
forthwith.  One  of  these  periodical  epistles,  having 
arrived  before  he  had  breakfasted,  had  rather  de 
stroyed  Griffith's  customary  equanimity,  and  various 
events  of  the  morning  had  not  improved  his  frame  of 
mind  ;  consequently  he  came  to  Dolly  for  comfort. 

"  And  she 's  coming  to  London,,  too,"  he  ended,  after 
favoring  the  assemblage  with  extracts  from  the  letter. 
"  And,  of  course,  she  will  expect  me  to  do  the  dutiful. 
Confound  her  money !  I  wish  she  would  build  an 
asylum  for  irate,  elderly  spinsters  with  it,  and  retire 
into  it  for  the  remainder  of  her  natural  life.  I  don't 
want  it,  and" — with  praiseworthy  ingenuousness  — 
"I  should  n't  get  it  if  I  did ! " 

"But,"  said  Dolly,  when  they  found  themselves 
alone  for  a  few  minutes,  "  it  would  be  an  agreeable 
sort  of  thing  to  have,  Griffith,  upon  the  whole, 
wouldn't  it?" 


VAGABONDIA.  25 

They  were  standing  close  together  by  the  fire,  Grif 
fith  with  his  arm  thrown  round  the  girl's  waist,  and 
she  with  both  her  plump,  flexible  hands  clasped  on  his 
shoulder  and  her  chin  resting  on  them,  and  her  big, 
round  eyes  gazing  up  into  his.  She  was  prone  to 
affectionate,  nestling  attitudes  and  coaxing  ways  — 
with  Griffith  it  may  be  understood  —  her  other  adorers 
were  treated  cavalierly  enough. 

"  A  nice  sort  of  thing,"  echoed  Griffith.  "  I  should 
think  it  would.  I  should  like  to  have  it  for  your  sake. 
I  don't  care  for  it  so  much  for  myself,  you  know, 
Dolly,  but  I  want  the  time  to  come  when  I  can  buy 
you  such  things  as  Old  Flynn's  nieces  wear.  It 
would  n't  be  a  waste  of  good  material  on  such  a  figure 
as  yours.  I  have  an  idea  of  my  own  about  a  winter 
dress  I  intend  you  to  have  when  we  are  rich, —  a  dark 
blue  velvet,  and  a  hat  with  a  white  plume  in,  and  one 
of  those  muff  affairs  made  of  long  white  silky  fur  —  " 

"  Angora,"  said  Dolly,  her  artless  enjoyment  of  the 
idea  shining  in  her  eyes.  "Angora,  Griffith." 

"  I  don't  know  what  it 's  called,"  answered  Griffith, 
"  but  it  is  exactly  your  style,  and  I  have  thought  about 
it  a  dozen  times.  Ah,  if  we  were  only  rich  ! " 

Dolly  laughed  joyously,  clasping  her  hands  a  little 
closer  over  his  shoulder.  Their  conversations  upon 
prospects  generally  ended  in  some  such  pleasantly 
erratic  remarks.  They  never  were  tired  of  supposing 
that  they  were  rich ;  and  really,  in  default  of  being 


26  VAGABONDIA. 

rich,  it  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  some  consolation 
in  being  in  a  frame  of  mind  which  can  derive  happi 
ness  from  such  innocent  day-dreams. 

"  Just  think  of  the  house  we  would  have/'  she  said, 
'  and  the  fun  we  could  all  have  together,  if  you  and  I 
were  rich  and  —  and  married,  Griffith.  We  should  be 
happy  if  we  were  married,  and  not  rich,  but  if  we  were 
rich  and  married  —  goodness,  Griffith ! "  and  she 
opened  her  eyes  wide  and  looked  so  enjoyable  alto 
gether,  that  Griffith,  being  entirely  overcome  by  reason 
of  the  strength  of  his  feelings  upon  the  subject,  caught 
her  in  both  arms  and  embraced  her  heartily,  and  only 
released  her  in  an  extremely  but  charmingly  crushed 
and  dishevelled  condition,  after  he  had  kissed  her  about 
half  a  dozen  times. 

It  did  not  appear,  upon  the  whole,  that  she  objected 
to  the  proceeding.  She  took  it  quite  naturally  and 
unaffectedly,  as  if  she  was  used  to  it,  and  regarded  it 
as  a  part  of  the  programme.  Indeed,  it  was  quite  a 
refreshing  sight  to  see  her  put  both  her  little  hands  up 
to  her  disarranged  hair  and  settle  the  crimps  serenely. 

"  We  should  have  the  chances  to  find  true  people  if 
we  were  rich,"  she  said.  "  And  then  we  could  take 
care  of  Airnee  and  Mollie,  and  help  them  to  make 
grand  marriages." 

But  that  very  instant  Griffith's  face  fell  some 
what. 

"  Dolly,"  he  said,  "  have  you  never  thought  —  not 


VAGABONDIA.  27 

even  thought  that  you  would  like  to  have  made  a  grand 
marriage  yourself  ?  "  And  though  there  was  not  the 
least  shade  of  a  reason  for  the  change  in  his  mood,  it 
was  glaringly  evident  that  he  was  at  once  rendered 
absolutely  prostrate  with  misery  at  the  thought. 

These  sudden  pangs  of  remorse  at  his  own  selfish 
ness  in  holding  the  girl  bound  to  him,  were  his  weak 
ness,  and  Dolly's  great  difficulty  was  to  pilot  him  safely 
through  his  shoals  of  doubt  and  self-reproach,  and  she 
had  her  own  way  of  managing  it.  Just  now  her  way 
of  managing  it  was  to  confront  him  bravely,  coming 
quite  close  to  him  again,  and  taking  hold  of  one  of  his 
coat  buttons. 

"  I  have  thought  of  it  a  hundred  times,"  she  said, 
"  but  not  since  I  have  belonged  to  you ;  and  as  I  have 
belonged  to  you  ever  since  I  was  fifteen  years  old,  I 
should  think  what  I  thought  before  then  can  hardly 
have  the  right  to  trouble  us  now.  You  never  think  of 
marrying  any  one  but  me,  do  you,  Griffith  ? " 

"  Think  of  marrying  any  one  else  ! "  exclaimed  Grif 
fith,  indignantly.  "  I  would  n't  marry  a  female  Rajah 
with  a  diamond  —  " 

"  I  know  you  would  n't,"  Dolly  interrupted.  "  I 
believe  in  you,  Griffith.  Why  won't  you  believe  in 
me  ? "  And  the  eyes  lifted  to  his  were  so  perfectly 
honest  and  straightforward  that  the  sourest  of  cynics 
must  have  believed  them,  and  Griffith  was  neither  sour 
nor  a  cynic,  but  simply  an  unsuccessful,  affectionate, 


28  VAGABONDIA. 

contradictory  young  man,  too  susceptible  to  outward 
influences  for  his  own  peace  of  mind. 

He  was  a  very  unfortunate  young  man,  it  may  as 
well  be  observed  at  once,  and  his  misfortunes  were  all 
the  harder  to  bear  because  he  was  not  to  blame  for 
them.  He  had  talent,  and  was  industrious  and  inde 
fatigable,  and  yet,  somehow  or  other,  the  Fates  seemed 
to  be  against  him.  If  he  had  been  less  honest  or  less 
willing,  he  might  perhaps  have  been  more  successful ; 
but  in  his  intercourse  with  the  world's  slippery  ones 
he  customarily  found  himself  imposed  upon.  He  had 
done  hard  work  for  which  he  had  never  been  paid, 
and  work  for  which  he  had  been  paid  badly  ;  he  had 
fought  honestly  to  gain  footing,  and,  somehow  or  other, 
luck  had  seemed  to  be  against  him,  for  certainly  he 
had  not  gained  it  yet.  Honest  men  admired  and  re 
spected  him,  and  men  of  intellectual  worth  prophe 
sied  better  days  ;  but  so  far  it  had  really  seemed  that 
the  people  who  were  willing  to  befriend  him  were 
powerless,  and  those  who  were  powerful  cared  little 
about  the  matter.  So  he  alternately  struggled  and 
despaired,  and  yet  retained  his  good  nature,  and  occa 
sionally  enjoyed  life  heartily  in  defiance  of  circum 
stances.  With  every  member  of  the  Crewe  household 
he  was  popular,  from  Tod  to  Mrs.  Phil.  His  engage 
ment  to  Dolly  they  regarded  as  a  satisfactory  arrange 
ment.  That  he  was  barely  able  to  support  himself, 
and  scarcely  possessed  a  presentable  suit  of  clothes, 


VAGABONDIA.  29 

wa»  to  their  minds  the  most  inconsequent  of  trifles. 
It  was  unfortunate,  perhaps,  but  unavoidable;  and 
their  sublime  trust  in  the  luck  which  was  to  ripen  in 
all  of  them  at  some  indefinite  future  time,  was  their 
hope  in  this  case.  Some  time  or  other  he  would  "  get 
into  something,"  they  had  decided,  and  then  he  would 
marry  Dolly,  and  they  would  all  enjoy  the  attendant 
festivities.  And  in  the  mean  time  they  allowed  the 
two  to  be  happy,  and  made  Griffith  welcome,  inviting 
him  to  their  little  impromptu  suppers,  and  taking 
care  never  to  be  de  trap  on  the  occasion  of  tete-a-tete 
conversations. 

The  tete-a-t£te  of  the  morning  ended  happily  as 
usual.  Dolly  went  back  to  her  unpicking,  and 
Griffith,  finding  his  ghost  of  self-reproach  laid  for  the 
time  being,  watched  her  in  a  supremely  blissful  state 
of  mind.  He  never  tired  of  watching  her,  he  fre 
quently  told  her  in  enthusiastic  confidence.  The 
charm  in  Dolly  Crewe  was  her  adaptability ;  she  was 
never  out  of  place,  and  it  had  been  said  that  she 
suited  herself  to  her  accompaniments  far  oftener  than 
her  accompaniments  suited  themselves  to  her.  See 
ing  her  in  a  shabby  dress,  seated  in  the  shabby  par 
lor,  one  instinctively  felt  that  shabbiness  was  not  so 
utterly  unbearable  after  all,  and  acknowledged  that  it 
had  a  brightness  of  its  own.  Meeting  her  at  a  clan 
gathering  in  the  camps  of  the  Philistines,  one  always 
found  her  in  excellent  spirits,  and  quite  undamped  in 


SO  VAGABONDIA. 

her  enjoyment  of  the  frequently  ponderous  rejoicings. 
In  the  Bilberry  school-room,  among  dog-eared  French 
grammars  and  lead-pencilled  music,  education  did  not 
appear  actually  dispiriting ;  and  now,  as  she  sat  by 
the  fire,  with  the  bright,  sharp  little  scissors  in  her 
hand,  and  the  pile  of  white  merino  on  her  knees  and 
trailing  on  the  hearth-rug  at  her  feet,  Griffith  found 
her  simply  irresistible.  Ah  !  the  bliss  that  revealed 
itself  in  the  prospect  of  making  her  Mrs.  Donne,  and 
taking  possession  of  her  entirely  !  The  joy  of  seeing 
her  seated  in  an  arm-chair  of  his  own,  by  a  fire  which 
was  solely  his  property,  in  a  room  which  was  nobody 
else's  paradise  !  He  could  imagine  so  well  how  she 
would  regard  such  a  state  of  affairs  as  a  nice  little 
joke,  and  would  pretend  to  adapt  herself  to  her  posi 
tion  with  divers  daring  witcheries  practised  upon 
himself  to  the  dethroning  of  his  reason ;  how  she 
would  make  innocent,  wicked  speeches,  and  be  coax 
ing  and  dazzling  and  mock-matronly  by  turns ;  and 
above  all,  how  she  would  enjoy  it,  and  make  him  en 
joy  it,  too ;  and  yet  sometimes,  when  they  were  quiet 
and  alone,  would  drop  all  her  whimsical  little  airs  and 
graces,  and  make  such  tender,  unselfish,  poetic  little 
speeches,  that  he  would  find  himself  startled  in  his 
wonder  at  the  depth  and  warmth  and  generosity  of 
her  girlish  heart.  He  often  found  her  surprising  him 
after  this  manner,  and  the  surprise  usually  came 
when  he  had  just  been  most  nearly  betrayed  into 


VAGABONDIA.  31 

thinking  of  her  as  an  adorable  little  collection  of 
witcheries  and  whimsicalities,  and  forgetting  that  she 
had  other  moods.  More  than  once  she  had  abso 
lutely  brought  tears  into  his  eyes,  and  a  thrill  to  his 
heart,  by  some  sudden,  pathetic,  trustful  speech,  made 
after  she  had  been  dazzling  and  bewildering  for 
hours  with  her  pretty  coquetries  and  daring  flashes  of 
wit.  No  one  but  Griffith  ever  saw  her  in  these  in 
tense  moods.  The  rest  of  them  saw  her  intense 
enough  sometimes  but  the  sudden,  uncontrollable 
flashes  of  light  Griffith  saw  now  and  then,  fairly  stag 
gered  him.  And  the  poor  fellow's  love  for  her  was 
something  akin  to  adoration.  There  was  only  this 
one  woman  upon  earth  to  him,  and  his  whole  soul 
was  bound  up  in  her.  It  was  for  her  he  struggled 
against  disappointment,  it  was  for  her  he  hoped,  it 
was  only  the  desperate  strength  of  his  love  for  her 
that  made  disappointment  so  terribly  bitter  to  him. 
Certainly  his  love  made  him  better  and  sweeter-tem 
pered  and  more  energetic  than  he  would  have  been  if 
his  life  had  not  been  so  full  of  it.  His  one  ambition 
was  to  gain  success  to  lay  at  her  feet.  To  him  suc 
cess  meant  Dolly,  and  Dolly  meant  Paradise,  an  hon 
est  Paradise,  in  which  primeval  bliss  reigned  supreme 
and  trial  was  unknown.  Consequently  the  bright  lit 
tle  scissors  glanced  before  his  eyes  a  sort  of  loadstar. 
"  I  did  n't  tell  you  that  nephew  of  Old  Flynn's  had 
come  back,  did  I  ? "  he  said,  at  length. 


32  VAGABOND1A. 

"  No,"  answered  Dolly,  snipping  diligently.  "You 
never  mentioned  him.  What  nephew,  and  where  did 
he  come  from  ? " 

"  A  fellow  of  the  name  of  Gowan,  who  has  been 
travelling  in  the  East  for  no  particular  reason  for  the 
last  ten  years.  He  called  on  Elynn,  at  the  office,  to 
day,  for  the  first  time  ;  and  if  I  had  been  called  upon 
to  kick  him  out,  I  should  have  regarded  it  as  a  cheer 
ful  and  improving  recreation." 

"  Why  ?  "  laughed  Dolly.  "  Is  he  one  of  the  Phi 
listines  ? " 

"  Philistine !  "  echoed  Griffith,  with  disgust.  "  I 
should  think  so.  A  complacent  idiot  in  a  chronic 
state  of  fatigue.  Drove  up  to  the  door  in  a  cab,  — 
his  own,  by  the  way,  and  a  confoundedly  handsome 
affair  it  is,  —  gave  the  reins  to  his  tiger,  and  stared 
at  the  building  tranquilly  for  at  least  two  minutes 
before  he  came  in,  stared  at  Old  Flynn  when  he  did 
come  in,  stared  at  me,  shook  hands  with  Old  Flynn 
exhaustedly,  and  then  subsided  into  listening  and 
paring  his  nails  during  the  remainder  of  the  inter 
view." 

"  Which  might  or  might  not  be  discreet  under  the 
circumstances,"  said  Dolly.  "  Perhaps  he  had  noth 
ing  to  say.  Never  mind,  Grif.  Let  us  console  our 
selves  with  the  thought  that  we  are  not  as  these 
utterly  worthless  explorers  of  the  East  are,"  with  a 
nourish  of  the  scissors. 


VAGABONDIA.  33 

"  Better  is  a  dinner  of  herbs  in  Vagabondia,  with 
a  garnish  of  conversation  and  Ion-mots,  than  a  stalled 
ox  among  the  Philistines  with  dulness." 

But  about  an  hour  after  Griffith  had  taken  his  de 
parture,  as  she  was  bending  over  the  table,  industri 
ously  clipping  at  the  merino,  a  thought  suddenly 
crossed  her  mind,  which  made  her  drop  her  scissors 
and  look  up  meditatively. 

"  By  the  way,"  she  began,  all  at  once.  "  Yes,  it 
must  be  !  How  was  it  I  did  not  think  of  it  when 
Grif  was  talking  ?  I  am  sure,  it  was  Gowan,  Lady 
Augusta  said.  To  be  sure  it  was.  Mollie,  this  ex 
ploring  nephew  of  the  Flynns  is  to  partake  of  coffee 
and  conversation  with  us  at  the  Bilberrys'  on  Friday, 
if  I  am  not  mistaken,  and  I  never  remembered  it 
until  now." 


CHAPTER  II 

IN  THE   CAMPS   OF  THE   PHILISTINES. 

A  TOILET  in  Vagabondia  was  an  event.  Not  an 
-£^-  ordinary  toilet,  of  course,  but  a  toilet  extraor 
dinary,  —  such  as  is  necessarily  called  forth  by  some 
festive  gathering  or  unusual  occasion.  It  was  also 
an  excitement  after  a  manner,  and  not  a  disagreeable 
one.  It  made  demands  upon  the  inventive  and  cre 
ative  powers  of  the  whole  family,  and  brought  to 
light  hidden  resources.  It  also  aroused  energy,  and, 
being  a  success,  was  rejoiced  over  as  a  brilliant  suc 
cess.  Eespectability  might  complacently  retire  to  its 
well-furnished  chamber,  and  choose  serenely  from  its 
unlimited  supply  of  figurative  purple  and  legendary 
fine  linen,  without  finding  a  situation  either  dramatic 
or  amusing ;  but  in  Vagabondia  this  was  not  the  case. 

Having  contrived  to  conjure  up,  as  it  were,  from 
the  secret  places  of  the  earth  an  evening  dress,  are 
not  gloves  still  necessary  ?  and,  being  safe  as  regards 
gloves,  do  not  the  emergencies  of  the  toilet  call  for 
minor  details  seemingly  unimportant,  but  still  not  to 
be  done  without  ?  Finding  this  to  be  the  case,  the 
household  of  Crewe  rallied  all  its  forces  upon  such 


VAGABOND1A.  35 

occasions,  and  set  aside  all  domestic  arrangements 
for  the  time  being.  It  was  not  impossible  that  Dolly 
should  have  prepared  for  a  rejoicing  without  the 
assistance  of  Mollie  and  Aimee,  Mrs.  Phil  and  Tod, 
with  occasional  artistic  suggestions  from  Phil  and 
any  particular  friend  of  the  family  who  chanced  to 
be  below-stairs,  within  hearing  distance.  It  might 
not  have  appeared  an  impossibility,  I  should  say,  to 
ordinary  people,  but  the  household  of  Crewe  regarded 
it  as  such,  and  accordingly,  on  the  night  of  the  Bil 
berry  gathering,  accompanied  Dolly  in  a  body  to  her 
tiring-room. 

Upon  the  bed  lay  the  merino  dress,  white,  modest, 
and  untrimmed,  save  for  the  swan's-down  accompa 
niments,  but  fitting  to  a  shade  and  exhibiting  an 
artistic  sweep  of  train. 

"  It  is  a  discreet  sort  of  garment,"  said  Dolly,  by 
way  of  comment;  "and  it  is  'suitable  to  our  social 
position.'  Do  you  remember  when  Lady  Augusta 
said  that  about  my  black  alpaca,  girls  ?  Pleasant  lit 
tle  observation,  was  n't  it  ?  'Toinette,  I  trust  hair-pins 
are  not  injurious  to  infantile  digestive  organs.  If 
they  are,  perhaps  it  would  be  as  well  to  convince  Tod 
that  such  is  the  case.  What  is  the  matter,  Mollie  ? " 

Mollie,  leaning  upon  the  dressing-table  in  her 
favorite  attitude,  was  looking  rather  discontented. 
She  was  looking  very  pretty,  also,  it  might  be  said. 
Her  sleepy,  warm  brown  eyes,  being  upraised  to 


36  VAGABONDIA. 

Dolly,  showed  larger  and  warmer  and  browner  than 
usual ;  the  heavy  brown  locks,  tumbling  down  over 
her  shoulders,  caught  a  sort  of  brownish,  coppery 
shade  in  the  flare  of  gas-light ;  there  was  a  flush  on 
her  soft  cheeks,  and  her  ripe  lips  were  curved  in  a 
lovely  dissatisfaction.  Hence  Dolly's  remark. 

"  I  wish  I  was  going,"  said  the  child. 

Dolly's  eyes  flew  open  wide,  in  a  very  sublimity 
of  astonishment. 

"  Wish  you  were  going  ?  "  she  echoed.  "  To  the 
Bilberrys'  ? " 

Mollie  nodded. 

"  Yes,  even  there.  I  want  to  go  somewhere.  I  think 
I  should  enjoy  myself  a  little  anywhere.  I  should 
like  to  see  the  people,  and  hear  them  talk,  and  find 
out  what  they  do,  and  wear  an  evening  dress." 

Dolly  gazed  at  her  in  mingled  pity  and  bewilder 
ment. 

"  Mollie,"  she  said,  "  you  are  very  innocent ;  and  I 
always  knew  you  were  very  innocent ;  but  I  did  not 
know  you  were  as  innocent  as  this,  —  so  utterly  free 
from  human  guile  that  you  could  imagine  pleasure 
in  a  Bilberry  rejoicing.  And  I  believe,"  still  regard 
ing  her  with  that  questioning  pity,  "  —  I  believe  you 
really  could.  I  must  keep  an  eye  on  you,  Mollie. 
You  are  too  unsophisticated  to  be  out  of  danger." 

It  was  characteristic  of  her  good-natured  sympathy 
for  the  girl  that  it  should  occur  to  her  the  next  min- 


VAGABONDIA.  37 

ute  that  perhaps  it  might  please  her  to  see  herself 
donned  even  in  such  modest  finery  as  the  white 
merino.  She  understood  her  simple  longings  after 
unattainable  glories  so  thoroughly,  and  she  was  so 
ready  to  amuse  her  to  the  best  of  her  ability.  So 
she  suggested  it. 

"  Put  it  on,  Mollie,"  she  said,  "  and  let  us  see  how 
you  would  look  in  it.  I  should  like  to  see  you  in 
full  dress." 

The  child  rose  with  some  faint  stir  of  interest  in 
her  manner  and  went  to  the  bed. 

"It  wouldn't  be  long  enough  for  me  if  it  wasn't 
for  the  train,"  she  said ;  "  but  the  train  will  make  it 
long  enough  nearly,  and  I  can  pull  it  together  at  the 
waist." 

She  put  it  on  at  the  bedside,  and  then  came  for 
ward  to  the  toilet-table ;  and  Dolly,  catching  sight  of 
her  in  the  glass  as  she  advanced,  turned  round  with 
a  start. 

Standing  in  the  light,  the  soft  heavy  white  folds 
draping  themselves  about  her  statuesque  curves  of 
form  as  they  might  have  draped  themselves  about 
the  limbs  of  some  young  marble  Grace  or  Goddess, 
with  her  white  arms  and  shoulders  uncovered,  with 
her  unchildish  yet  youthful  face,  with  her  large- 
irised  eyes,  her  flush  of  momentary  pleasure  and 
half  awkwardness,  she  was  just  a  little  dazzling,  and 
Dolly  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  her  so. 


VAGABONDIA. 

"  You  are  a  beauty,  Mollie,"  she  said.  "  And  you 
are  a  woman  in  that  dress.  If  you  were  only  a  Bil 
berry  now,  what  a  capital  your  face  would  be  to  you, 
and  what  a  belle  you  would  be  ! " 

Which  remarks,  if  indiscreet,  were  affectionate,  and 
made  in  perfect  good  faith. 

But  when,  having  donned  the  merino  herself,  she 
made  her  way  down  the  dark  staircase  to  the  parlor, 
there  was  a  vague  ghost  of  uneasiness  in  her  mind, 
and  it  was  the  sight  of  Mollie  in  full  dress  which 
had  aroused  it. 

"She  is  so  very  pretty,"  she  said  to  herself.  "I 
scarcely  knew  how  very  pretty  she  was  until  I  turned 
round  from  the  glass  to  look  at  her.  What  a  pity 
it  is  that  we  are  not  rich  enough  to  do  her  justice, 
and  let  her  enjoy  herself  as  other  girls  do.  And  — 
and,"  with  a  little  sigh,  "  I  am  afraid  we  are  a  dread 
fully  careless  lot.  I  wonder  if  Phil  ever  thinks  about 
it?  And  she  is  so  innocent  and  ignorant  too.  I 
hope  she  won't  fall  in  love  with  anybody  disreputable. 
I  wish  I  knew  how  to  take  care  of  her." 

And  yet  when  she  went'  into  the  parlor  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  family  inspection,  and  walked  across  the 
floor  to  show  the  sweep  of  her  train,  and  tried  her 
little  opera  hood  on  Tod  before  putting  it  on  herself, 
a  casual  observer  would  certainly  have  decided  that 
she  had  never  had  a  serious  thought  in  her  life. 

Griffith  was  there,  of  course.     At  such  times  his 


VAGABONDIA.  39 

presence  was  considered  absolutely  necessary,  and  his 
admiration  was  always  unbounded.  His  portion  it 
was  to  tuck  her  under  his  arm  and  lead  her  out  to 
the  cab  when  the  train  and  wraps  were  arranged  and 
the  hood  put  on.  This  evening,  when  he  had  made 
her  comfortable  and  shut  the  door,  she  leaned  out  of 
the  window  at  the  last  moment  to  speak  to  him. 

"I  forgot  to  tell  you,  Griffith,"  she  said,  "Lady 
Augusta  said  something  about  a  Mr.  Go  wan  to 
Mr.  Bilberry  the  other  day  when  she  invited  me.  I 
wonder  if  it  is  the  Gowan  you  were  telling  me  about  ? 
He  is  to  be  there  to-night." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  answered  Griffith,  with  sudden 
discontent.  "  He  is  just  the  sort  of  fellow  the  Bil- 
berrys  would  lionize." 

It  was  rather  incorrect  of  Dolly  to  feel,  as  she  did, 
a  sudden  flash  of  anticipation.  She  could  not  help 
it.  This  intense  appreciation  of  a  novel  or  dramatic 
encounter  with  an  eligible  Philistine  was  her  great 
weakness,  and  she  made  no  secret  of  it  even  with  her 
lover,  which  was  unwise  if  frank. 

She  gave  her  fan  a  wicked  flirt,  and  her  eyes 
flashed  as  she  did  it. 

"  A  mine  of  valuable  information  lies  unexplored 
before  me,"  she  said.  "I  must  make  minute  inquiries 
concerning  the  habits  and  peculiarities  of  the  people 
of  the  East.  I  shall  take  the  lion  in  tow,  and  Lady 
Augusta's  happiness  will  be  complete." 


40  VAGABONDIA. 

Griffith  turned  pale  —  his  conquering  demon  was 
jealousy. 

"  Look  here,  Dolly,"  he  began. 

But  Dolly  settled  herself  in  her  seat  again,  and 
waved  her  hand  with  an  air  of  extreme  satisfaction. 
She  did  not  mean  to  make  him  miserable,  and  would 
have  been  filled  with  remorse  if  she  had  quite  under 
stood  the  extent  of  the  suffering  she  imposed  upon 
him  sometimes  merely  through  her  spirit,  and  the 
daring  onslaughts  she  made  upon  people  for  whom 
she  cared  little  or  nothing.  She  understood  his  nu 
merous  other  peculiarities  pretty  thoroughly,  but  she 
did  not  understand  his  jealousy,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  she  had  never  been  jealous  in  her  life. 

"  Tell  the  cabman  to  drive  on,"  she  said,  with  a 
flourish.  "  There  is  balm  to  be  found  even  in 
Bilberry." 

And  when  the  man  drove  on  she  composed  herself 
comfortably  in  a  corner  of  the  vehicle,  in  perfect  un 
consciousness  of  the  fact  that  she  had  left  a  thorn 
behind,  rankling  in  the  bosom  of  the  poor  fellow  who 
watched  her  from  the  pavement. 

She  was  rather  late,  she  found,  on  reaching  her 
destination.  The  parlors  were  full,  and  the  more 
enterprising  of  the  guests  were  beginning  to  group 
themselves  in  twos  and  threes,  and  make  spasmodic 
efforts  at  conversation.  But  conversation  at  a  Bil 
berry  assemblage  was  rarely  a  success,  —  it  was  so 


VAGABOND1A.  41 

evident  that  to  converse  was  a  point  of  etiquette,  and 
it  was  so  patent  that  conversation  was  expected  from 
everybody,  whether  they  had  anything  to  say  or 
not. 

Inoffensive  individuals  of  retiring  temperament, 
being  introduced  to  each  other  solemnly  and  with 
ceremony,  felt  that  to  be  silent  was  to  be  guilty  of  a 
glaring  breach  of  Bilberry  decorum,  and,  casting  about 
in  mental  agony  for  available  remarks,  found  none, 
and  were  overwhelmed  with  amiable  confusion. 
Lady  Augusta  herself,  in  copper- colored  silk  of  the 
most  unbending  quality  and  make,  was  not  condu 
cive  to  cheerfulness.  Yet  Dolly's  first  thought  on 
catching  sight  of  her  this  evening  was  a  cheerful  if 
audacious  one. 

"  She  looks  as  if  she  was  dressed  in  a  boiler,"  she 
commented,  inwardly.  "  I  wonder  if  I  shall  ever 
live  so  long  —  I  wonder  if  I  ever  could  live  long 
enough  to  submit  to  a  dress  like  that.  And  yet  she 
seems  to  be  almost  happy  in  the  possession  of  it. 
But,  I  dare  say,  that  is  the  result  of  conscious 
virtue." 

It  was  a  very  fortunate  thing  for  Dolly  that  she 
was  not  easily  discomposed.  Most  girls  entering  a 
room  full  of  people,  evidently  unemployed,  and  in 
consequence  naturally  prone  to  not  too  charitable 
criticism  of  new-comers,  might  have  lost  self-posses 
sion.  Not  so  Dolly  Crewe.  Being  announced,  she 


42  VAGABOND1A. 

came  in  neither  with  unnecessary  hurry  nor  timidly, 
and  with  not  the  least  atom  of  shrinking-  from  the 
eyes  turned  toward  her ;  and,  simple  and  unassuming 
a  young  person  as  she  appeared  on  first  sight,  more 
than  one  pair  of  eyes  in  question  found  themselves 
attracted  by  the  white  merino,  the  white  shoulders, 
the  elaborate  tresses,  and  the  serene,  innocent-looking 
orbs. 

Lady  Augusta  advanced  slightly  to  meet  her,  with 
a  grewsome  rustling  of  copper-colored  stiffness.  She 
did  not  approve  of  Dolly  at  any  time,  but  she  spe 
cially  disapproved  of  her  habit  of  setting  time  at 
defiance  and  ignoring  the  consequences. 

"I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,"  she  said,  with  the  air 
of  a  potentate  issuing  a  proclamation.  "  I  thought " 
—  somewhat  severely — "that  you  were  not  coming 
at  all." 

"  Did  you  ? "  remarked  Dolly,  with  tranquillity. 

"Yes,"  returned  her  ladyship.  "And  I  could  not 
understand  it.  It  is  nine  o'clock  now,  and  I  believe 
I  mentioned  eight  as  the  hour." 

"  I  dare  say  you  did,"  said  Dolly,  unfurling  her 
small  downy  fan,  and  using  it  with  much  serene 
grace ;  "  but  I  was  n't  ready  at  eight.  I  hope  you 
are  very  well." 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  her  ladyship,  icily.  "  I 
am  very  well.  Will  you  go  and  take  a  seat  by 
Euphemia?  I  allowed  her  to  come  into  the  room 


VAGABONDIA.  43 

to-night,  and  I  notice  that  her  manner  is  not  so  self- 
possessed  as  I  should  wish." 

Dolly  gave  a  little  nod  of  acquiescence,  and  looked 
across  the  room  to  where  the  luckless  Euphemia  sat 
edged  in  a  corner  behind  a  row  of  painfully  conversa 
tional  elderly  gentlemen,  who  were  struggling  with 
the  best  intentions  to  keep  up  a  theological  discourse 
with  the  Eev.  Marmaduke.  Euphemia  was  the  eldest 
Miss  Bilberry.  She  was  overgrown  and  angular,  and 
suffered  from  chronic  embarrassment,  which  was  not 
alleviated  by  the  eye  of  her  maternal  parent  being 
upon  her.  She  was  one  of  Dolly's  pupils,  and  cher 
ished  a  secret  but  enthusiastic  admiration  for  her. 
And,  upon  the  whole,  Dolly  was  fond  of  the  girl. 
She  was  good-natured  and  unsophisticated,  and  bore 
the  consciousness  of  her  physical  and  mental  imper 
fections  with  a  humility  which  was  almost  touching 
to  her  friend  sometimes.  Catching  Dolly's  eye  on 
this  occasion,  she  glanced  at  her  imploringly,  and 
then,  catching  the  eye  of  her  mother,  blushed  to  the 
tips  of  her  ears,  and  relapsed  into  secret  anguish  of 
mind. 

But  Dolly,  recognizing  her  misery,  smiled  reassur 
ingly,  and  made  her  way  across  the  room  to  her, 
insinuating  herself  through  the  theological  phalanx. 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  are  here  at  last,"  said  the  girl. 
"  I  was  so  afraid  you  would  n't  come.  And  oh,  how 
nice  you  look,  and  how  beautifully  you  manage  your 


44  VAGABONDIA. 

train !  I  could  never  do  it  in  the  world.  I  should 
be  sure  to  tumble  over  it.  But  nothing  ever  seems 
to  trouble  you  at  all.  You  haven't  any  idea"  how 
lovely  you  were  when  you  went  across  the  room  to 
mamma.  Everybody  looked  at  you,  and  I  don't  won 
der  at  it." 

"  They  would  have  looked  at  anybody,"  answered 
Dolly,  laughing.  "  They  had  nothing  else  to  do." 

"  That  is  quite  true,  poor  things,"  sighed  Euphemia, 
sympathetically.  "You  don't  know  the  worst  yet, 
either.  You  don't  know  how  stupid  they  are  and 
can  be,  Dolly.  That  old  gentleman  near  the  screen 
has  not  spoken  one  word  yet,  and  he  keeps  sighing 
and  wiping  the  top  of  his  bald  head  with  his  pocket- 
handkerchief  until  I  can't  keep  my  eyes  off  him,  and 
I  am  afraid  he  has  noticed  me.  I  don't  mean  any 
harm,  I'm  sure,  but  I  have  got  nothing  to  do  myself, 
and  I  can't  help  it.  But  what  I  was  going  to  say 
was,  that  people  looked  at  you  as  they  did  not  look 
at  others  who  came  in.  You  seem  different  some  way. 
And  I'm  sure  that  Mr.  Gbwan  of  mamma's  has  been 
staring  at  you  until  it  is  positively  rude  of  him." 

Dolly's  slowly  moving  fan  became  stationary  for  a 
moment. 

"  Mr.  Go  wan,"  she  said.     "  "Who  is  Mr.  Go  wan  ? " 

"  One  of  mamma's  people,"  answered  Euphemia, 
''though  I'm  sure  I  can't  quite  understand  how  he 
can  be  one  of  them.  He  looks  so  different  from  the 


VAGABONDIA.  45 

rest.  He  is  very  rich,  you  know,  and  very  aristo 
cratic,  and  has  travelled  a  great  deal.  He  has  been 
all  over  the  world,  they  say.  There  he  is  at  that 
side-table." 

Dolly's  eyes,  travelling  round  the  assemblage  with 
complacent  indifference,  rested  at  last  on  the  side- 
table  where  the  subject  of  Euphemia's  remarks  sat. 

He  really  was  an  eligible  Philistine,  it  seemed, 
despite  Griffith's  unflattering  description  of  him. 

He  was  a  long-limbed,  graceful  man,  with  an  aqui 
line  face  and  superb  eyes,  which  at  this  moment  were 
resting  complacently  upon  Dolly  herself.  It  was 
not  exactly  admiration,  either,  which  they  expressed, 
it  was  something  of  a  more  entertaining  nature,  at 
least  so  Dolly  found  it,  —  it  was  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a  slowly  awakening  interest  in  her  which 
paid  her  the  compliment  of  rising  above  the  surface 
of  evident  boredom  and  overcoming  lassitude.  It 
looked  as  if  he  was  just  beginning  to  study  her,  and 
found  the  game  worth  the  candle.  Dolly  met  his 
glance  with  steadiness,  and  as  she  met  it  she  meas 
ured  him.  Then  she  turned  to  Euphemia  again  and 
fluttered  the  fan  slowly  and  serenely. 

"He's  nice,  isn't  he?"  commented  the  guileless 
Phemie.  "  If  the  rest  of  them  were  like  him,  I  don't 
think  we  should  be  so  stupid,  but  as  it  is,  you  know, 
he  can't  talk  when  there  is  nobody  to  talk  to." 

"No,"  said  Dolly.     "One  could  hardly  expect  it 


46  VAGABONDIA. 

of  him.     But  I  wonder  why  he  does  not  say  some 
thing  to  that  thin  lady  in  the  dress- cap." 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  exclaimed  Phernie,  "  I  don't  wonder 
in  the  least.  That  is  Miss  Berenice  MacDowlas, 
Dolly." 

"  Miss  Berenice  MacDowlas !  "  echoed  Dolly,  with 
a  start.  "  You  don't  say  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Euphemia.  "  Do  you  know  her  ? 
You  spoke  as  if  you  did." 

"  Well  —  yes  —  no/'  answered  Dolly,  with  a  half 
laugh.  "  I  should  say  I  know  somebody  who  does." 

And  she  looked  as  if  she  was  rather  enjoying  some 
small  joke  of  her  own.  The  fact  was  that  Miss  Mac- 
Dowlas  was  no  other  than  Griffith's  amiable  aunt. 
But,  of  course,  it  would  not  have  done  to  tell  this  to 
Euphemia  Bilberry.  Euphemia's  ideas  on  the  subject 
of  the  tender  passion  were  as  yet  crude  and  unformed, 
and  Dolly  Crewe  was  not  prone  to  sentimental  con 
fidences,  so,  as  yet,  Euphemia  and  indeed  the  whole 
Bilberry  family,  remained  in  blissful  ignorance  of 
the  very  existence  of  such  a  person  as  Mr.  Griffith 
Donne. 

If  personal  appearance  was  to  be  relied  upon,  Miss 
MacDowlas  was  not  a  promising  subject  for  diplo 
matic  beguiling. 

"  We  have  no  need  to  depend  upon  her,"  was 
Dolly's  mental  decision.  "One  glimpse  of  life  ii 
Vagabondia  would  end  poor  Griffith's  chances  with 


VAGABOND1A.  47 

her.  I  wonder  what  she  would  think  if  she  could 
see  Tod  in  all  his  glory  when  'Toinette  and  Phil  are 
busy  painting." 

And  her  vivid  recollection  of  the  personal  adorn 
ments  of  Tod  at  such  times  brought  a  smile  to  her 
lips. 

She  made  herself  very  comfortable  in  her  corner, 
and,  exerting  herself  to  her  utmost  to  alleviate  Euphe- 
mia's  sufferings,  succeeded  so  far  that  the  girl  forgot 
everything  else  but  her  enjoyment  of  her  friend's 
caustic  speeches  and  satirical  little  jokes.  Dolly 
was  not  afraid  of  results,  and,  standing  in  no  awe  of 
public  opinion,  gave  herself  up  to  the  encouraging  of 
any  shadow  of  amusement  quite  heartily.  She  was  so 
entertaining  in  a  small  way  upon  this  occasion,  that 
Euphemia's  frame  of  mind  became  in  some  degree 
ecstatic.  From  her  place  of  state  across  the  room 
Lady  Augusta  regarded  them  with  disapproval.  It 
was  so  very  evident  that  they  were  enjoying  them 
selves,  and  that  this  shocking  Dorothea  Ore  we  was 
not  to  be  suppressed.  (Dorothea,  be  it  known,  was 
Dolly's  baptismal  name,  and  Lady  Augusta  held  to 
its  full  pronunciation  as  a  matter  of  duty.)  It  was 
useless,  however,  to  disapprove.  Behind  the  theo 
logical  phalanx  Dolly  sat  enthroned  plainly  in  the 
best  of  spirits,  and  in  rather  a  dangerous  mood,  to 
judge  from  outward  appearances.  There  was  noth 
ing  of  the  poor  relation  about  her  at  least.  The 


48  VAGABONDIA. 

little  snowy  fan  was  being  manipulated  gracefully 
and  with  occasional  artistic  nourishes,  her  enjoyable 
roulades  of  laughter  tinkled  audaciously,  her  white 
shoulders  were  expressive,  her  gestures  charming, 
and,  above  all,  people  were  beginning  to  look  at  her 
admiringly,  if  not  with  absolute  envy.  Something 
must  be  done. 

Lady  Augusta  moved  across  the  room,  piloting  her 
way  between  people  on  ottomans  and  people  on 
chairs,  rustling  with  awe-inspiring  majesty ;  and, 
reaching  the  corner  at  last,  she  spoke  to  the  daring- 
Dolly  over  the  heads  of  the  phalanx. 

"  Dorothea,"  she  said,  "  we  should  like  a  little 
music." 

This  she  had  expected  would  be  a  move  which 
could  not  fail  to  set  the  young  person  in  her  right 
place.  It  would  show  her  that  her  time  was  not  her 
own,  and  that  she  was  expected  to  make  herself  use 
ful  ;  and  it  would  also  set  to  rights  any  little  mis 
take  lookers-on  might  have  previously  labored  under 
as  to  her  position.  But  even  this  did  not  destroy 
Dolly's  equanimity.  She  finished  the  small  joke  she 
had  been  making  to  Phemie,  and  then  turned  to  her 
august  relative  with  a  sweet  but  trying  smile. 

"Music?"  she  said.  "Certainly."  And  arose  at 
once. 

Then  Lady  Augusta  saw  her  mistake.  It  was  only 
another  chance  for  Miss  Dolly  to  display  herself  to 


VAGABONDIA.  49 

advantage,  after  all.  When  she  arose  from  her  seat 
in  the  corner,  and  gave  a  glance  of  inspection  to  her 
train  over  her  bare  white  shoulder,  people  began  to 
look  at  her  again ;  and  when  she  crossed  the  room, 
she  was  an  actual  Sensation,  —  and  to  create  a  sensa 
tion  in  the  Bilberry  parlors  was  to  attain  a  triumph. 
Worse  than  this,  also,  as  her  ladyship  passed  the  bald- 
headed  individual  by  the  screen,  that  gentleman — who 
was  a  lion  as  regarded  worldly  possessions  —  conde 
scended  to  make  his  first  remark  for  the  evening. 

"Pretty  girl,  that,"  he  said.  "  Nice  girl,  —  fine 
figure.  Relative  ? " 

"My  daughter's  governess,  sir,"  replied  her  lady 
ship,  rigidly. 

And  in  Dolly's  passage  across  the  room  another 
incident  occurred  which  was  not  lost  upon  the  head 
of  the  house  of  Bilberry.  Near  the  seat  of  Mr. 
Ealph  Gowan  stood  a  vacated  chair,  which  obstructed 
the  passage  to  the  piano,  and,  observing  it,  the  gen 
tleman  in  question  rose  and  removed  it,  bowing  obse 
quiously  in  reply  to  Dolly's  slight  gesture  of  thanks, 
and  when  she  took  her  place  at  the  instrument  he 
moved  to  a  seat  near  by,  and  settled  himself  to  listen 
with  the  air  of  a  man  who  expected  to  enjoy  the 
performance. 

And  he  evidently  did  enjoy  it,  for  a  very  pleasant 
little  performance  it  was.  The  songs  had  a  thrill  of 
either  pathos  or  piquancy  in  every  word  and  note, 

4 


50  VAGABOND1A, 

and  the  audience  found  they  were  listening  in  spite 
of  themselves. 

"When  they  were  ended,  Ealph  Gowan  sought  out 
Lady  Augusta  in  her  stronghold,  and  placidly  pro 
posed  being  introduced  to  her  young  guest ;  and 
since  it  was  evident  that  he  intended  to  leave  her  no 
alternative,  her  ladyship  was  fain  to  comply ;  and  so, 
before  half  the  evening  was  over,  Dolly  found  herself 
being  entertained  as  she  had  never  been  entertained 
before  in  the  camps  of  the  Philistines  at  least.  And 
as  to  the  Eastern  explorer,  boredom  was  forgotten  for 
the  time,  and  he  gave  himself  up  entirely  to  the 
amusing  and  enjoying  of  this  piquant  young  person 
with  the  white  shoulders. 

"  Ore  we,"  he  said  to  her  during  the  course  of  their 
first  conversation.  "  I  am  sure  Lady  Augusta  said 
'  Ore  we.'  Then  you  are  relatives,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Poor  relations,"  answered  Dolly,  coolly,  and  with 
out  a  shadow  of  discomfiture.  "  I  am  the  children's 
governess.  Trying,  is  n't  it  ?  " 

Ralph  Gowan  met  the  gaze  of  the  bright  eyes  ad 
miringly.  Even  at  this  early  period  of  their  acquaint 
ance  he  was  falling  into  the  snare  every  other  man 
fell  into,  —  the  snare  of  finding  that  Dolly  Crewe 
was  startlingly  unlike  anybody  else. 

"  Not  for  the  children,"  he  said.  "  Under  such  cir 
cumstances  education  must  necessarily  acquire  a  new 
charm." 


VAGABONDIA.  51 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Dolly. 

When  supper  was  announced,  Lady  Augusta  made 
another  attack  and  was  foiled  again.  She  came  to 
their  corner,  and,  bending  over  Dolly,  spoke  to  her  in 
stage-whisper. 

"  I  will  bring  young  Mr.  Jessup  to  take  you  into 
the  supper-room,  Dorothea,"  she  said. 

But  Dolly's  plans  were  already  arranged,  and  even 
if  such  had  not  been  the  case  she  would  scarcely 
have  rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  the  escort  of  young 
Mr.  Jessup,  who  was  a  mild  young  idiot  engaged  in 
the  study  of  theology. 

"  Thank  you,  Lady  Augusta,"  she  said,  cheerfully, 
"  but  I  have  promised  Mr.  Gowan." 

And  Lady  Augusta  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her 
leave  the  room  a  minute  later,  with  her  small  glove 
slipped  through  Ealph  Go  wan' s  arm,  and  the  plainly 
delighted  face  of  that  gentleman  inclined  attentively 
toward  the  elaborate  Frenchy  coiffure. 

At  the  supper-table  little  Miss  Crewe  was  a  promi 
nent  feature.  At  her  end  of  the  table  conversation 
flourished  and  cheerfulness  reigned.  Even  Euphemia 
and  young  Mr.  Jessup,  who  had  come  down  together 
in  a  mutual  agony  of  embarrassment,  began  to  pluck 
up  spirit  and  hazard  occasional  remarks,  and  finally 
even  joined  in  the  laughter  at  Dolly's  witticism. 

People  lower  down  the  table  glanced  up  across  th<; 
various  dishes,  and  envied  the  group  who  seemed 


52  VAGABONDIA. 

to    set    the  general  heaviness  and  discontent  at  de« 
fiance. 

Dolly,  accompanied  by  coffee  and  cakes,  was  more 
at  home  and  more  delightful  than  ever,  so  delightful, 
indeed,  that  Kalph  Gowan  began  to  regard  even  Lady 
Augusta  with  gratitude,  since  it  was  to  her  he  was,  to 
some  extent,  indebted  for  his  new  acquaintance. 

"  She  is  a  delightful  —  yes,  a  delightful  girl ! "  ex 
claimed  young  Mr.  Jessup,  confidentially  addressing 
Euphemia,  and  blushing  vividly  at  his  own  boldness. 
"  I  never  heard  such  a  laugh  as  she  has  in  my  life. 
It  is  actually  exhilarating.  It  quite  raises  one's 
spirits,"  with  mild  na'ivete. 

Euphemia  began  to  brighten  at  once.  She  could 
talk  about  Dolly  Crewe  if  she  could  talk  about  noth 
ing  else. 

"  Oh,  but  you  have  n't  seen  anything  of  her  yet," 
she  said,  in  a  burst  of  enthusiasm.  "If  you  could 
only  see  her  every  day,  as  I  do,  and  hear  the  witty 
things  she  says,  and  see  how  self-possessed  she  is, 
when  other  people  would  be  perfectly  miserable  with 
confusion,  there  would  be  no  wonder  at  your  saying 
you  never  saw  anybody  like  her.  /  never  did,  I  am 
sure.  And  then,  you  know,  somehow  or  other,  she 
always  looks  so  well  in  everything  she  wears,  —  even 
in  the  shabbiest  things,  and  her  things  are  nearly 
always  shabby  enough,  for  they  are  dreadfully  poor. 
She  is  always  finding  new  ways  of  wearing  things 


VAGABONDTA.  53 

or  new  ways  of  doing  her  hair  or  —  or  something. 
It  is  the  way  her  dresses  fit,  I  think.  Oh,  dear,  how 
I  do  wish  the  dressmaker  could  make  mine  fit  as 
hers  do !  Just  look  at  that  white  merino,  now,  for 
instance.  It  is  the  plainest  dress  in  the  room,  and 
there  is  not  a  bit  of  fuss  or  trimming  about  it,  and 
yet  see  how  soft  the  folds  look  and  how  it  hangs,  — 
the  train,  you  know.  It  reminds  me  of  a  picture, 
—  one  of  those  pictures  in  fashionable  monthlies,  — 
illustrations  of  love  stories,  you  know." 

"It  is  a  very  pretty  dress,"  said  young  Mr.  Jessup, 
eying  it  with  great  interest.  "What  did  you  say 
the  stuff  was  called  ? " 

"  Merino/'  answered  Phemie. 

"  Merino,"  repeated  Mr.  Jessup.  "  I  will  try  and 
remember.  I  should  like  my  sister  Lucinda  Maria  to 
have  a  dress  like  it." 

And  he  regarded  it  with  growing  admiration  just 
tempered  by  the  effect  of  a  mental  picture  of  Lucinda 
Maria,  who  was  bony  and  of  remarkable  proportions, 
attired  in  its  soft  and  flowing  counterpart,  with  white 
swan's-down  adorning  her  bare  shoulders. 

"  May  I  ask,"  said  Miss  MacDowlas,  at  the  bottom 
of  the  table,  to  Lady  Augusta,  —  "  may  I  ask  who 
that  young  lady  with  the  fresh  complexion  is,  —  the 
young  lady  in  white  at  the  other  end  ?  " 

"  That  is  my  governess,"  replied  her  ladyship,  freez* 
ingly.  "  Miss  Dorothea  Crpwe." 


54  VAGABOND1A. 

And  Miss  MacDowlas  settled  her  eye-glass  and 
gave  Miss  Dorothea  Crewe  the  benefit  of  a  prolonged 
examination. 

"  Crewe,"  she  said,  at  length.  "  Poor  relation,  I 
suppose  ? "  with  some  sharpness  of  manner.  Dignity 
was  lost  upon  Miss  MacDowlas. 

"  A  branch  of  my  family  who  are  no  great  credit  to 
it,"  was  the  majestic  rejoinder. 

"  Oh,  indeed,"  was  the  lady's  sole  remark,  and  then 
Miss  MacDowlas  returned  to  her  coffee,  still,  how 
ever,  keeping  her  double  eye-glass  across  her  nose  and 
casting  an  occasional  glance  at  Dolly. 

And  just  at  this  particular  moment  Dolly  was 
unconsciously  sealing  Ealph  Gowan's  fate  for  him. 
Quite  unconsciously,  I  repeat,  for  the  most  serious  of 
Dolly's  iniquities  were  generally  unconscious.  When 
she  flirted,  her  flirtations  were  of  so  frank  and  open 
a  nature,  that,  bewildered  and  fascinated  though  her 
victims  might  be,  they  must  have  been  blind  indeed 
to  have  been  deceived,  and  so  there  were  those  who 
survived  them  and  left  the  field  safe,  though  some 
what  sore  at  heart.  But  when  she  was  in  her  honest, 
earnest,  life-enjoying  moods,  and  meant  no  harm,  — 
when  she  was  simply  enjoying  herself  and  trying  to 
amuse  her  masculine  companion,  when  her  gestures 
were  unconscious  and  her  speeches  unstudied,  when 
she  laughed  through  sheer  merriment  and  was  charm 
ingly  theatrical  because  she  could  not  help  it  and 


VAGABONDIA.  55 

because  little  bits  of  pathos  and  comedy  were  natural 
to  her  at  times,  then  it  was  that  the  danger  became 
deadly ;  then  it  was  that  her  admirers  were  regard 
less  of  consequences,  and  defied  results.  And  she 
was  in  just  such  a  mood  to-night 

"  Come  and  see  us  ? "  she  was  saying.  "  Of  course 
you  may ;  and  if  you  come,  you  shall  have  an  insight 
into  the  domestic  workings  of  modern  Vagabondia. 
You  shall  be  introduced  to  half  a  dozen  people  who 
toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin  successfully,  for  their 
toiling  and  spinning  seems  to  have  little  result,  after 
all.  You  shall  see  shabbiness  and  the  spice  of  life 
hand-in-hand ;  and,  I  dare  say,  you  will  find  that  the 
figurative  dinner  of  herbs  is  not  utterly  destitute  of 
a  flavor  of  piquancy.  You  shall  see  people  who  en 
joy  themselves  in  sheer  defiance  of  circumstances,  and 
who  find  a  pathos  in  every-day  events,  which,  in  the 
camps  of  the  Philistines,  mean  nothing.  Yes,  you  may 
come  if  you  care  to."  And  Ealph  Go  wan,  looking 
down  at  the  changeful  eyes,  saw  an  almost  tender  light 
shining  in  their  depths,  —  summoned  up  all  at  once 
perhaps  by  one  of  those  inexplicable  touches  of  pathos 
of  which  she  had  spoken. 

But  even  coffee  and  conversation  must  come  to  an 
end  at  last,  and  so  the  end  of  this  evening  came. 
People  began  to  drop  away  one  by  one,  bidding  their 
hostess  good-night  with  the  air  of  individuals  who 
had  performed  a  duty,  and  were  relieved  to  find  it 


56  VAGABONDIA. 

performed  and  disposed  of  for  the  time  being.  So 
Dolly,  leaving  her  companion  with  a  bright  farewell, 
and  amiably  disposing  of  Lady  Augusta,  slipped 
up-stairs  to  the  retiring-room  for  her  wraps.  In  the 
course  of  three  minutes  she  came  down  again,  the 
scarlet  shawl  draped  around  her,  and  the  highly  or 
namental  hood  donned.  She  was  of  so  little  conse 
quence  in  the  Bilberry  household  that  no  one  met 
her  when  she  reappeared.  Even  the  servants  knew 
that  her  convenience  or  inconvenience  was  of  small 
moment,  so  the  task  of  summoning  her  cab  would 
have  devolved  upon  herself,  had  it  not  been  for  a 
little  incident,  which  might  have  been  either  an  ac 
cident  or  otherwise.  As  she  came  down  the  staircase 
a  gentleman  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  parlor  and 
came  to  meet  her,  —  and  this  gentleman  was  no  other 
than  Ealph  Gowan. 

"Let  me  have  the  pleasure  of  putting  you  into 
your  —  " 

"  Cab,"  ended  Dolly,  with  a  trill  of  a  laugh,  —  it 
was  so  evident  that  he  had  been  going  to  say 
"  carriage."  "  Thank  you,  with  the  greatest  of 
pleasure.  Indeed,  it  is  rather  a  relief  to  me,  for 
they  generally  keep  me  waiting.  And  I  detest 
waiting." 

He  handed  her  into  her  seat,  and  lingered  to  see 
that  she  was  comfortable,  perhaps  with  unnecessary 
caution;  and  then,  when  she  gave  him  her  hand 


VAGABONDIA.  57 

through  the  window,  he  held  it  for  a  moment  longer 
than  was  exactly  called  for  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
occasion. 

"  You  will  not  forget  that  you  have  given  me  per 
mission  to  call,"  he  said,  hesitating  slightly. 

"  Oh,  dear  no  ! "  she  answered.  "  I  shall  not  forget. 
We  are  always  glad  to  see  people  —  in  Vagabondia." 

And  as  the  cab  drove  off,  she  waved  the  hand 
he  had  held  in  an  airy  gesture  of  adieu,  gave  him 
a  bewildering  farewell  nod,  and,  withdrawing  her 
face  from  the  window,  disappeared  in  the  shadow 
within. 

"  Great  Jove  ! "  meditated  Ealph  Go  wan,  when  he 
had  seen  the  last  of  her.  "  And  this  is  a  nursery  gov 
erness,  —  a  sort  of  escape-valve  for  the  spleen  and  ill 
moods  of  that  woman  in  copper-color.  She  teaches 
them  French  and  music,  I  dare  say,  and  makes  those 
spicy  little  jokes  of  hers  over  the  dog-eared  arithme 
tic.  Ah,  well !  such  is  impartial  Fortune."  And  he 
strolled  back  into  the  house  again,  to  make  his  adieus 
to  Lady  Augusta,  with  the  bewitching  Greuze  face 
fresh  in  his  memory. 

But,  for  her  part,  Dolly,  having  left  him  behind  in 
the  Philistine  camp,  was  nestling  comfortably  in  the 
dark  corner  of  her  cab,  thinking  of  Griffith,  as  she  al 
ways  did  think  of  him  when  she  found  herself  alone 
for  a  moment. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  will  be  at  home  when  I  get  there/' 


58  VAGABONDIA. 

she  said.  "  Poor  fellow  !  he  would  find  it  dull  enough 
without  me,  unless  they  were  all  in  unusually  good 
spirits.  I  wonder  if  the  time  ever  will  come  when 
we  shall  have  a  little  house  of  our  own,  and  can  gp 
out  together  or  stay  at  home,  just  as  we  like." 


CHAPTEE  III. 

IN  WHICH    THE    TEAIN    IS    LAID. 

"  A  FTEK  a  holiday  comes  a  rest  day."  The  astute- 
-£JL-  ness  of  this  proverb  continually  proved  itself 
in  Vagabondia,  and  this  was  more  particularly  the 
case  when  the  holiday  had  been  Dolly's,  inasmuch 
as  Dolly  was  invariably  called  upon  to  "  fight  her 
battles  o'er  again/'  and  recount  her  experiences  the 
day  following  a  visit,  for  the  delectation  of  the  house 
hold.  Had  there  appeared  in  the  camps  a  Philistine 
of  notoriety,  then  that  Philistine  must  play  his  or 
her  part  again  through  the  medium  of  Dolly's  own 
inimitable  powers  of  description  or  representation ; 
had  any  little  scene  occurred  possessing  a  spice  of 
flavoring,  or  illustrating  any  Philistine  peculiarity, 
then  Dolly  was  quite  equal  to  the  task  of  putting  it 
upon  the  family  stage,  and  re-enacting  it  with  iniqui 
tous  seasonings  and  additions  of  her  own.  And  yet 
the  fun  was  never  of  an  ill-natured  sort.  When 
Dolly  gave  them  a  correct  embodiment  of  Lady 
Augusta  in  reception  of  her  guests,  with  an  accurate 
description  of  the  "  great  Copper-Boiler  costume,"  the 
bursts  of  applause  meant  nothing  more  than  that 


60  VAGABONDIA. 

Dolly's  imitative  gifts  were  in  good  condition,  and 
that  the  "  great  Copper-Boiler  costume  "  was  a  suc 
cess.  Then,  the  feminine  mind  being  keenly  alive 
to  an  interest  in  earthly  vanities,  an  enlargement  on 
Philistine  adornments  was  considered  necessary,  and 
Dolly  always  rendered  herself  popular  by  a  minute 
description  of  the  reigning  fashions,  as  displayed  by 
the  Bilberry  element.  She  found  herself  quite  re 
paid  for  the  trouble  of  going  into  detail,  by  the 
unsophisticated  pleasure  in  Mollie's  eyes  alone,  for  to 
Mollie  outward  furnishings  seemed  more  than  worthy 
of  description  and  discussion. 

Accordingly,  the  morning  after  Lady  Augusta's 
conversazione,  Dolly  gave  herself  up  to  the  task  of 
enlivening  the  household.  It  was  Saturday  morn 
ing,  fortunately,  and  on  Saturday  her  visits  to  the 
Bilberry  mansion  were  dispensed  with,  so  she  was 
quite  at  liberty  to  seat  herself  by  the  fire,  with  Tod 
in  her  arms,  and  recount  the  events  of  the  evening. 
Somehow  or  other,  she  had  almost  regarded  him  as  a 
special  charge  from  the  first.  She  had  always  been 
a  favorite  with  him,  as  she  was  a  favorite  with  most 
children.  She  was  just  as  natural  and  thoroughly  at 
home  with  Tod  in  her  arms,  or  clambering  over  her 
feet,  or  clutching  at  the  trimmings  of  her  dress,  as 
she  was  under  any  other  circumstances ;  and  when 
on  this  occasion  Griffith  came  in  at  noon  to  hear  the 
news,  and  found  her  kneeling  upon  the  carpet  with 


VAGABONDIA.  61 

outstretched  hands  teaching  the  pretty  little  tottering 
fellow  to  walk,  he  felt  her  simply  irresistible. 

"  Come  to  Aunt  Dolly,"  she  was  saying.  "  Tod, 
come  to  Aunt  Dolly."  And  then  she  looked  up 
laughing.  "  Look  at  him,  Griffith,"  she  said.  "  He 
has  walked  all  the  way  from  that  arm-chair."  And 
then  she  made  a  rush  at  the  child,  and  caught  him 
in  her  arms  with  a  little  whirl,  and  jumped  up  with 
such  a  light-hearted  enjoyment  of  the  whole  affair 
that  it  was  positively  exciting  to  look  at  her. 

It  was  quite  natural  —  indeed,  it  would  have  been 
quite  unnatural  if  she  had  not  found  her  usual  abid 
ing-place  in  her  lover's  encircling  arm  at  once,  even 
with  Tod  convenienlly  established  on  one  of  her 
own,  and  evidently  regarding  his  own  proximity 
upon  such  an  occasion  as  remarkable  if  nothing  else. 
That  arm  of  Griffith's  usually  did  slip  around  her 
waist  even  at  the  most  ordinary  times,  and  long  use 
had  so  accustomed  Dolly  to  the  habit  that  she  would 
have  experienced  some  slight  feeling  of  astonishment 
if  the  familiarity  had  been  omitted. 

It  was  rather  a  surprise  to  the  young  man  to  find 
that  Miss  MacDowlas  had  appeared  upon  the  scene, 
and  that  she  had  partaken  of  coffee  and  conversation 
in  the  flesh  the  evening  before. 

"  But  it 's  just  like  her,"  he  said.  "  She  is  the  sort 
of  relative  who  always  does  turn  up  unexpectedly, 
Dolly.  How  does  she  look  ?" 


62  VAGABONDIA. 

Juvenescent,"  said  Dolly;  " depressingly  36  to 
persons  who  rely  upon  her  for  the  realizing  of  expec 
tations.  A  very  few  minutes  satisfied  me  that  I 
should  never  become  Mrs.  Griffith  Donne  upon  her 
money.  It  is  a  very  fortunate  thing  for  us  that  we 
are  of  Vagabondian  antecedents,  Griffith,  —  just  see 
how  we  might  trouble  ourselves,  and  wear  our 
patience  out  over  Miss  MacDowlas,  if  we  troubled 
ourselves  about  anything.  This  being  utterly  free 
from  the  care  of  worldly  possessions  makes  one 
touchingly  disinterested.  Since  we  have  nothing  to 
expect,  we  are  perfectly  willing  to  wait  until  we 
get  it." 

She  had  thought  so  little  about  Ealph  Go  wan,  — 
once  losing  sight  of  him,  as  he  stood  watching  her 
on  the  pavement,  that  in  discussing  other  subjects 
she  had  forgotten  to  mention  him,  and  it  was  only 
Mollie's  entrance  into  the  room  that  brought  him 
upon  the  carpet. 

Coming  in,  with  her  hair  bunched  up  in  a  lovely, 
disorderly  knot,  and  the  dimple  on  her  left  cheek 
artistically  accentuated  by  a  small  patch  of  black, 
the  youngest  Miss  Crewe  yet  appeared  to  advantage, 
when,  after  appropriating  Tod,  she  slipped  down  into 
a  sitting  posture  with  him  on  the  carpet,  in  the  midst 
of  the  amplitude  of  folds  of  Lady  Augusta's  once 
gorgeous  wrapper. 

"  Have  you  told  him  about  the  great  Copper-Boiler 


VAGABONDIA.  63 

costume,  Dolly  ? "  she  said,  bending  down  so  that  one 
brown  tress  hung  swaying  before  Tod's  eyes.  "  Has 
she,  Griffith  ? " 

"Yes,"  answered  Griffith,  looking  at  her  with  a 
vague  sense  of  admiration.  He  shared  all  Dolly's 
enthusiasm  on  the  subject  of  Mollie's  prettiness. 

"Was  n't  it  good  ?  I  wish  I  was  as  cool  as  Dolly 
is.  And  poor  Phemie  —  and  the  gentleman  who 
made  love  to  you  all  the  evening,  Dolly.  What  was 
his  name  ?  Was  n't  it  Gowan  ?  " 

Griffith's  eyes  turned  toward  Dolly  that  instant. 

"  Gowan  ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  You  did  n't  say  any 
thing  about  him.  You  didn't  even  say  he  was 
there." 

"  Did  n't  she  ? "  said  Mollie,  looking  up  with  inno 
cently  wide-open  eyes.  "  Why,  he  made  love  to  her 
all  —  " 

"  I  wish  you  would  n't  talk  such  rubbish,  Mollie," 
Dolly  interrupted  her  —  a  trifle  sharply  because  she 
understood  the  cloud  on  her  lover's  face  so  well. 
"  Who  said  Mr.  Gowan  made  love  to  me  ?  Not  I, 
you  may  be  sure.  I  told  you  he  talked  to  me,  and 
that  was  all." 

"You  did  not  tell  me  that  much,"  said  Griffith, 
dryly. 

It  would  scarcely  have  been  human  nature  for 
Dolly  not  to  have  fired  a  little  then,  in  spite  of  her 
self.  She  was  constitutionally  good-natured,  but  she 


64  VAGABONDtA. 

was  not  seraphic,  and  her  lover's  rather  excusable 
jealousy  was  specially  hard  to  bear,  when,  as  upon 
this  occasion,  it  had  no  real  foundation. 

"  I  did  not  think  it  necessary,"  she  said ;  "  and, 
besides,  I  forgot ;  but  if  you  wish  to  know  the  par 
ticulars,"  with  a  stiff  little  air  of  dignity,  "  I  can  give 
them  you.  Mr.  Gowan  was  there,  and  found  the 
evening  stupid,  as  every  one  else  did.  There  was  no 
one  else  to  talk  to,  so  he  talked  to  me,  and  when  I 
came  home  he  put  me  into  the  cab.  And,  the  fact 
is,  he  is  a  good-natured  Philistine  enough.  That  is 
all,  I  believe,  unless  you  would  like  me  to  try  to 
record  all  he  said." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  answered  Griffith,  and  instantly 
began  to  torture  himself  with  imagining  what  he 
really  had  said,  making  the  very  natural  mistake  of 
imagining  what  he  would  have  said  himself,  and  then 
giving  Ealph  Gowan  credit  for  having  perpetrated 
like  tender  gallantries.  He  never  could  divest  himself 
of  the  idea  that  every  living  man  found  Dolly  as 
entrancing  as  he  found  her  himself.  It  could  only 
be  one  man's  bitter-sweet  portion  to  be  as  desperately 
and  inconsolably  in  love  with  her  as  he  was  himself, 
and  no  other  than  himself,  or  a  man  who  might  be 
his  exact  prototype,  could  have  cherished  a  love  at 
once  so  strong  and  so  weak.  There  had  been  other 
men  who  had  loved  Dolly  Crewe,  —  adored  her  for 
a  while,  in  fact,  and  imagined  themselves  wretches 


VAGABONDIA.  65 

because  they  had  been  unsuccessful ;  but  they  had 
generally  outlived  their  despair,  and  their  adoration, 
cooling  for  want  of  sustenance,  had  usually  settled 
down  into  a  comfortable  admiring  liking  for  the 
cause  of  their  misery,  but  it  would  never  have  been 
so  with  Griffith.  This  ordinary,  hard-working,  ill- 
paid  young  man  had  passionate  impulse  and  hidden 
power  of  suffering  enough  in  his  restive  nature  to 
make  a  broken  hope  a  broken  life  to  him.  His  long- 
cherished  love  for  the  shabbily  attired,  often-snubbed, 
dauntless  young  person  yclept  Dorothea  Crewe  was 
the  mainspring  of  his  existence.  He  would  have 
done  daring  deeds  of  valor  for  her  sake,  if  circum 
stances  had  called  upon  him  to  comfort  himself  in 
such  tragic  manner ;  had  he  been  a  knight  of  olden 
time,  he  would  just  have  been  the  chivalrous,  hot 
headed,  but  affectionate  young  man  to  have  entered 
the  lists  in  his  love's  behalf,  and  tilted  against  tre 
mendous  odds,  and  died  unvanquished  ;  but  living  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  his  impetuosity,  being  neces 
sarily  restrained,  became  concentrated  upon  one  point, 
and  chafed  him  terribly  at  times.  Without  Dolly, 
he  would  have  been  without  an  object  in  life ;  with 
Dolly,  he  was  willing  to  face  any  amount  of  dis 
couragement  and  misfortune ;  and  at  this  stage  of  his 
affection  —  after  years  of  belief  in  that  far-  off  blissful 
future  —  to  lose  her  would  have  brought  him  wreck 
and  ruin. 


66  VAGABONDIA. 

So  when  Dolly,  in  the  full  consciousness  of  present 
freedom  from  iniquity,  withdrew  herself  from  his 
encircling  arm  and  turned  her  attention  to  Tod  and 
Mollie,  he  was  far  more  wretched  than  he  had  any 
right  to  be,  and  stood  watching  them,  and  gnawing 
his  slender  mustache,  gloomy  and  distrustful. 

But  this  could  not  last  long,  of  course.  They 
might  quarrel,  but  they  always  made  friends ;  and 
when  in  a  short  time  Mollie,  doubtless  feeling  herself 
a  trifle  in  the  way,  left  the  room  with  the  child, 
Dolly's  impulsive  warm-heartedness  got  the  better  of 
her  upon  this  occasion  as  upon  all  others. 

She  came  back  to  her  lover's  side  and  laid  her 
hand  on  his  arm. 

"  Don't  let  us  quarrel  about  Ralph  Gowan,  Grif 
fith,"  she  said.  "  It  was  iny  fault ;  I  ought  to  have 
told  you." 

He  fairly  crushed  her  in  his  remorseful  embrace 
almost  before  she  had  finished  her  appeal.  His  dis 
trust  of  her  was  as  easily  overcome  as  it  was  roused ; 
one  touch  of  her  hand,  one  suspicion  of  a  tremor  in 
her  voice,  always  conquered  him  and  reduced  him  to 
penitent  submission. 

"  You  are  an  angel,"  he  said,  "  and  I  am  an  unfeeling 
clod.  No  other  woman  would  bear  with  me  as  you 
do.  God  bless  you,  Dolly." 

She  nestled  within  his  arms  and  took  his  caresses 
almost  gratefully.  Perhaps  it  would  have  been  wiser 


VAG4BONDIA.  67 

to  have  shown  him  how  deep  a  sting  his  want  of 
faith  gave  her  sometimes,  but  she  was  always  so  glad 
when  their  misunderstandings  were  at  an  end,  that 
she  would  not  have  so  revenged  herself  upon  him  for 
the  world.  The  cool,  audacious  self  she  exhibited  in 
the  camps  of  the  Philistines  was  never  shown  to 
Griffith ;  in  her  intercourse  with  him  she  was  only 
a  slightly  intensified  edition  of  the  child  he  had  fallen 
in  love  with  years  before,  —  a  bright,  quick-witted 
child,  with  a  deep  nature  and  an  immense  faculty 
for  loving  and  clinging  to  people.  Dolly  at  twenty- 
two  was  pretty  much  what  she  had  been  at  fifteen, 
when  they  had  quarrelled  and  made  up  again,  loved 
each  other  and  romanced  over  the  future  brilliancy  of 
prospect  which  now  seemed  just  as  far  off  as  ever. 

In  five  minutes  after  the  clearing  away  of  the  tem 
porary  cloud,  they  were  in  a  seventh  heaven  of  bliss, 
as  usual.  In  some  of  his  wanderings  about  town, 
Griffith  had  met  with  a  modest  house,  which  would 
have  been  the  very  thing  for  them  if  they  had  pos 
sessed  about  double  the  income  of  which  they  were 
at  present  in  receipt.  He  often  met  with  houses  of 
this  kind ;  they  seemed,  in  fact,  to  present  themselves 
to  his  longing  vision  every  week  of  his  life ;  and  I 
think  it  rather  to  his  credit  to  mention  that  he  never 
failed  to  describe  them  to  Dolly,  and  enlarge  upon 
their  merits  with  much  eloquence.  Furniture  ware 
houses  also  were  a  source  of  some  simple  pleasure  to 


68  VAGABONDIA. 

them.  If  they  possessed  the  income  (not  that  they 
had  the  remotest  prospect  of  possessing  it),  and 
rented  the  house,  naturally  they  would  require  furni 
ture,  and  it  was  encouraging  to  know  that  the  neces 
sary  articles  might  be  bought  if  the  money  was 
forthcoming.  Consequently  a  low-priced  table  or  a 
cheap  sofa  was  a  consolation,  if  not  a  source  of  re 
joicing,  and  their  happiest  hours  were  spent  in 
counting  the  cost  of  parlor  carpets  never  to  be  pur 
chased,  and  window  curtains  of  thin  air.  They  even 
economized  sternly  in  minor  matters,  and  debated  the 
expenditure  of  an  extra  shilling  as  closely  as  if  it 
had  been  a  matter  entailing  the  deepest  anxiety ; 
and  on  the  whole,  perhaps,  practical  persons  might 
have  condemned  their  affectionate,  hopeful  weakness 
as  childish  and  nonsensical,  but  they  were  happy  in 
the  indulgence  of  it,  at  all  events,  and  surely  they 
might  have  been  engaged  in  a  less  tender  and  more 
worldly  pastime.  There  were  other  people,  perhaps, 
weak  and  imprudent  themselves  it  may  be,  who 
would  have  seen  a  touch  of  simple  pathos  in  this 
unconsciously  shown  faith  in  Fortune  and  her  not  too 
kindly  moods. 

"  Old  Flynn  ought  to  raise  my  salary,  you  know, 
Dolly,"  said  Griffith.  "  I  work  hard  enough  for  him, 
confound  him  ! "  somewhat  irrelevantly,  but  with  lau 
dable  and  not  unamiable  vigor.  He  meant  no  harm  to 
"  Old  Flynn ;"  he  would  have  done  a  good-natured  thing 


VAGABONDIA.  69 

for  him  at  any  moment,  the  mild  expletive  was  simply 
the  result  of  adopted  custom.  "  There  is  n't  a  fellow 
in  the  place  who  does  as  much  as  I  do.  I  worked  from 
seven  in  the  morning  till  midnight  every  day  last 
week,  and  I  wrote  half  his  editorials  for  him,  and  no 
body  knows  he  does  n't  get  them  up  himself.  If  he 
would  only  give  me  two  hundred  instead  of  one,  just 
see  how  we  could  live." 

"We  could  live  on  a  hundred  and  fifty,"  put  in 
Dolly,  with  an  air  of  practical  speculation  which  did 
her  credit,  "  if  we  were  economical." 

"  Well,  say  a  hundred  and  fifty,  then,"  returned  Grif 
fith,  quite  as  seriously,  "  for  we  should  be  economical. 
Say  a  hundred  and  fifty.  It  would  be  nothing  to 
him,  —  confound  him  !  —  but  it  would  be  everything 
in  the  world  to  us.  That  house  in  the  suburbs  was 
only  thirty  pounds,  taxes  and  all,  and  it  was  just  the 
very  thing  we  should  want  if  we  were  married." 

"  How  many  rooms  ? "  asked  Dolly. 

"  Six,  and  kitchen  and  cupboards  and  all  that  sort 
of  contrivances.  I  asked  particularly  —  went  to  see 
the  landlord  to  inquire  and  see  what  repairing  he  would 
do  if  we  wanted  the  place.  There  is  a  garden  of  a  few 
yards  in  the  front,  too,  and  one  or  two  rose-bushes. 
I  don't  know  whether  they  ever  bloom,  but  if  they 
do,  you  could  wear  them  in  your  hair.  I  thought  of 
that  the  minute  I  saw  them.  The  first  time  I  saw  you, 
Dolly,  you  had  a  rose  in  your  hair,  and  I  remember 


70  VAGABOND1A. 

thinking  I  had  never  seen  a  flower  worn  in  the  same 
way.  Other  girls  do  n't  wear  things  as  you  wear  them 
somehow  or  other." 

Dolly  acknowledged  the  compliment  with  a  laugh 
and  a  coaxing,  patronizing  little  squeeze  of  his  arm. 

"You think  they  don't/'  she  said,  "you  affectionate 
old  fellow,  that  is  it.  Well,  and  what  did  the  land 
lord  say  ?  Would  he  beautify  ? " 

"  Well,  yes,  I  think  he  would  if  the  matter  was 
pressed,"  said  Griffith,  returning  to  the  subject  with  a 
vigor  of  enjoyment  inspiriting  to  behold.  "  And,  by 
the  way,  Dolly,  I  saw  a  small  sofa  at  a  place  in  town 
which  was  just  the  right  size  to  fit  into  a  sort  of  alcove 
there  is  in  the  front  parlor." 

"  Did  you  inquire  the  price  ?  "  said  Dolly. 

"  Well  —  no,"  cheerfully ;  "  but  I  can,  if  you  would 
like  to  know  it.  You  see,  I  had  n't  any  money,  and 
did  n't  know  when  I  should  have  any,  and  I  felt  rather 
discouraged  at  the  time,  and  I  had  an  idea  the  price 
would  make  me  feel  worse,  so  I  did  not  go  in.  But 
it  was  a  comfortable,  plump  little  affair,  covered  with 
green,  —  the  sort  of  thing  I  should  like  to  have  in  our 
house,  when  we  have  one.  It  would  be  so  comfort 
able  to  throw  one's  self  down  on  to  after  a  hard  day's 
work,  particularly  if  one  had  a  headache." 

"  Yes,"  said  Dolly ;  and  then,  half  unconsciously  and 
quite  in  spite  of  herself,  the  ghost  of  a  sigh  escaped 
her.  She  could  not  help  wishing  things  were  a  trifle 


VAGABOND1A.  71 

more  real  sometimes,  bright  and  whimsically  unworldly 
as  she  was. 

"  What  did  that  mean  ? "  Griffith  asked  her. 

She  wakened  up,  as  it  were,  and  looked  as  happy 
as  ever  in  an  instant,  creeping  a  trifle  closer  to  him  in 
her  loving  anxiety  to  blind  him  to  the  presence  of  the 
little  pain  in  her  heart. 

"Nothing,"  she  said,  briskly.  And  then  —  ""We 
don't  want  much,  do  we,  Griffith  ? " 

"'No"  said  Griffith,  a  certain  grim  sense  of  humor 
getting  the  better  of  him.  "  And  we  have  n't  got  it." 

She  laughed  outright  at  the  joke  quite  enjoyably. 
Even  the  grimmest  of  jocosities  wins  its  measure  of 
respect  in  Vagabondia,  and  besides,  her  laugh  removed 
the  impression  her  sigh  might  have  created.  She  was 
herself  again  at  once. 

"  Never  mind,"  she  said.  (It  was  always  "  never 
mind.")  "  Never  mind,  it  will  all  come  right  in  the 
end.  Humble  merit  must  be  rewarded,  and  if  humble 
merit  isn't,  we  can  only  console  ourselves  with  the 
reasonable  reflection  that  there  must  be  something 
radically  wrong  with  the  state  of  society.  Who  knows 
whether  you  may  not  'get  into  something,'  as  Phil 
says,  which  may  "be  twenty  times  better  than  anything 
Old  Flynn  can  give  you!"  with  characteristic  Vaga- 
bondian  hopefulness. 

Just  at  this  juncture  Phil  himself  entered,  or, 
rather,  half  entered,  for  he  only  put  his  head  —  a 


72  VAGABONDIA. 

comely,  curled  head  surmounted  by  a  disreputable 
velvet  cap  -—  half  into  the  room. 

"  Oh,  you  are  here,  are  you  ? "  he  said.  "  You  are 
the  fellow  I  want.  I  am  just  touching  up  something 
I  want  to  show  you.  Come  into  the  studio  for  a  min 
ute  or  so,  Grif." 

"It  is  that  picture  Mollie  sat  for,"  he  explained, 
as  they  followed  him  into  the  big,  barren  room, 
dignified  by  the  name  of  studio.  "I  have  just 
finished  it." 

Mollie  was  standing  before  the  picture  herself  when 
they  went  in  to  look  at  it,  but  she  did  not  turn  round 
on  hearing  them.  She  had  Tod  in  her  arms  yet,  but 
she  seemed  to  have  forgotten  his  very  existence  in  her 
preoccupation.  And  it  was  scarcely  to  be  wondered 
at.  The  picture  was  only  a  head,  —  Mollie' s  own 
fresh,  drowsy-eyed  face  standing  out  in  contrast  under 
some  folds  of  dark  drapery  thrown  over  the  brown 
hair  like  a  monk's  cowl,  two  or  three  autumn-tinted 
oak  leaves  clinging  to  a  straying  tress,  —  but  it  was 
effective  and  novel  enough  to  be  a  trifle  startling. 
And  Mollie  was  looking  at  it  with  a  growing  shadow 
of  pleasure  in  her  expression.  She  was  slowly  awak 
ening  to  a  sense  of  its  beauty,  and  she  was  by  no 
means  dissatisfied. 

"It  is  lovely  I"  Dolly  cried  out,  enthusiastically. 

"  So  it  is,"  said  Griffith.  "  And  as  like  her  as  art 
can  make  it.  It's  a  success,  Phil." 


VAGABONDIA.  73 

Phil  stepped  back  with  a  critical  air  to  give  it  a 
new  inspection. 

"Yes,  it  is  a  success,"  he  said.  "Just  give  me  a 
chance  to  get  it  hung  well,  and  it  will  draw  a  crowd 
next  season.  You  shall  have  a  new  dress  if  it  does, 
Mollie,  and  you  shall  choose  it  yourself." 

Mollie  roused  herself  for  a  moment,  and  lighted 
up. 

"  Shall  I  ?"  she  said ;  and  then  all  at  once  she  blushed 
in  a  way  that  made  Dolly  stare  at  her  in  some  wonder. 
It  seemed  queer  to  think  that  Mollie  —  careless  child 
Mollie  —  was  woman  enough  to  blush  over  anything. 

And  then  Aimee  and  'Toinette  came  in,  and  looked 
on  and  admired  just  as  openly  and  heartily  as  the  rest, 
only  Aime'e  was  rather  the  more  reticent  of  the  two, 
and  cast  furtive  glances  at  Mollie  now  and  then.  But 
Mollie  was  in  a  new  mood,  and  had  very  little  to  say ; 
and  half  an  hour  after,  when  her  elder  sister  went 
into  the  family  sitting-room,  she  found  her  curled  up 
in  an  easy-chair  by  the  fire,  looking  reflective.  Dolly 
went  to  the  hearth  and  stood  near  her. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  about  ? "  she  asked. 

Mollie  stirred  uneasily,  and  half  blushed  again. 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  answered. 

"  Yes,  you  do,"  contradicted  Dolly,  good-naturedly. 
"  Are  you  thinking  that  it  is  a  pleasant  sort  of  a  tiling 
to  be  handsome  enough  to  be  made  a  picture  of, 
Mollie  ? " 


74  VAGABONDIA. 

The  brown  eyes  met  hers  with  an  innocent  sort  of  der> 
recating  consciousness.  "I  —  I  never  thought  about 
myself  in  that  way  before,"  admitted  Mollie,  naively. 

"  Why,"  returned  Dolly,  quite  sincerely,  "  you  must 
have  looked  in  the  glass." 

"  Ye-es,"  with  a  slow  shake  of  the  head ;  "  but  it 
did  n't  look  the  same  way  in  the  glass,  —  it  did  n't 
look  as  nice." 

Dolly  regarded  her  with  a  surprise  which  was  not 
unmingled  with  affectionate  pity.  She  was  not  as 
unsophisticated  as  Mollie,  and  never  had  been.  As 
the  feminine  head  of  the  family,  she  had  acquired  a 
certain  shrewdness  early  in  life,  and  had  taken  a 
place  in  the  household  the  rest  were  hardly  equal  to. 
There  had  been  no  such  awakening  as  this  for  her. 
At  fourteen,  she  had  been  fully  and  complacently 
conscious  of  the  exact  status  of  her  charms  and  abili 
ties,  physical  and  mental.  She  had  neither  under- 
nor  over-rated  them.  She  had  smiled  back  at  her 
reflection  in  her  mirror,  showing  two  rows  of  little 
milk-white  teeth,  and  being  well  enough  satisfied  with 
being  a  charming  young  person  with  a  secure  com 
plexion  and  enviable  self-poise.  She  understood 
herself,  and  attained  perfection  in  the  art  of  under 
standing  others.  Her  rather  sharp  experience  had 
not  allowed  her  to  look  in  the  glass  in  guileless  igno 
rance  of  what  she  saw  there,  and  perhaps  this  made 
her  all  the  fonder  of  Mollie, 


VAGABONDIA.  75 

"  What  kind  of  a  dress  are  you  going  to  choose  if 
Phil  buys  you  one  ? "  she  asked. 

"  Maroon/'  answered  Mollie.  "  Oh  !  "  with  a  little 
shuddering  breath  of  desperate  delight,  "  how  I  wish 
I  could  have  a  maroon  silk  !  " 

Dolly  shook  her  head  doubtfully. 

"  It  would  n't  be  serviceable,  because  you  could 
only  have  the  one,  and  you  could  n't  wear  it  on  wet 
days,"  she  said. 

"  I  should  n't  care  about  its  being  serviceable,"  burst 
forth  innocent  Vagabondia,  rebelling  against  the 
trammels  of  prudence.  "  I  want  something  pretty. 
I  do  so  detest  serviceable  things.  I  would  stay  in 
the  house  all  the  wet  days  if  I  might  have  a  maroon 
silk  to  wear  when  it  was  fine." 

"  She  is  beginning  to  long  for  purple  and  fine 
linen,"  sighed  Dolly,  as  she  ran  up  to  her  bedroom 
afterward.  "  The  saints  forefend  !  It  is  a  bad  sign. 
She  will  fall  in  love  the  next  thing.  Poor,  indiscreet 
little  damsel ! " 

But,  despite  her  sage  lamentations,  there  was  even 
at  that  moment  a  plan  maturing  in  her  mind  which 
was  an  inconsistent  mixture  of  Vagabondia's  good 
nature  and  whim.  Mollie's  fancy  for  the  maroon  silk 
had  struck  her  as  being  artistic,  and  there  was  not  a 
Crewe  among  them  who  had  not  a  weakness  for  the 
artistic  in  effect.  Tod  himself  was  imaginatively 
supposed  to  share  it  and  exhibit  preternatural  intelli- 


76  VAGABONDTA. 

gence  upon  the  subject.  In  Dolly  it  amounted  to  « 
passion  which  she  found  it  impossible  to  resist.  By 
it  she  was  prompted  to  divers  small  extravagances  at 
times,  and  by  it  she  was  assisted  in  the  arranging  of 
all  her  personal  adornments.  It  was  impossible  to 
slight  the  mental  picture  of  Mollie  with  maroon  dra 
pery  falling  about  her  feet,  with  her  cheeks  tinted 
with  excited  color,  and  with  that  marvel  of  delight  in 
her  eyes.  She  could  not  help  thinking  about  it. 

"  She  would  be  simply  incomparable,"  she  found 
herself  soliloquizing.  "  Just  give  her  that  dress,  put 
a  white  flower  in  her  hair  and  set  her  down  in  a  ball 
room,  or  in  the  dress  circle  of  a  theatre,  and  she 
would  set  the  whole  place  astir.  Oh,  she  must  have 
it." 

It  was  very  foolish  and  extravagant  of  course  ;  even 
the  people  who  are  weakly  tolerant  enough  to  rather 
lean  toward  Dorothea  Crewe,  will  admit  this.  The 
money  that  would  purchase  the  maroon  garment 
would  have  purchased  a  dozen  minor  articles  far  more 
necessary  to  the  dilapidated  household ;  but  while 
straining  at  such  domestic  gnats  as  these  articles 
were,  she  was  quite  willing  and  even  a  trifle  anxious 
to  swallow  Mollie's  gorgeous  camel.  Such  impulsive 
inconsistency  was  characteristic,  however,  and  she 
betook  herself  to  her  bedroom  with  the  intention  of 
working  out  the  problem  of  accommodating  supply  to 
demand. 


VAGABONDIA.  77 

She  took  out  her  purse  aud  emptied  its  contents  on 
to  her  dressing-table.  Two  or  three  crushed  bills,  a 
scrap  or  so  of  poetry  presented  by  Griffith  upon  vari 
ous  tender  occasions,  and  a  discouragingly  small  bank 
note,  the  sole  remains  of  her  last  quarter's  salary 
The  supply  was  not  equal  to  the  demand,  it  was  evi 
dent.  But  she  was  by  no  means  overpowered.  She 
was  dashed,  but  not  despairing.  Of  course,  she  had 
not  expected  to  launch  into  such  a  reckless  piece  of 
expenditure  all  at  once,  she  had  only  thought  she 
might  attain  her  modest  ambition  in  the  due  course 
of  time,  and  she  thought  so  yet.  She  crammed  bills 
and  bank-note  back  into  the  purse  with  serene  cheer 
fulness  and  shut  it  with  a  little  snap  of  the  clasp. 

"  I  will  begin  to  save  up,"  she  said,  l(  and  I  will 
persuade  Phil  to  help  me.  We  can  surely  do  it  be 
tween  us,  and  then  we  will  take  her  somewhere  and 
let  her  have  her  first  experience  of  modern  society. 
What  a  sensation  she  would  create  in  the  camps  of 
the  Philistines  ! " 

She  descended  into  the  kitchen  after  this,  appearing 
in  those  lower  regions  in  the  full  glory  of  apron  and 
rolled-up  sleeves,  greatly  to  the  delight  of  the  youth 
ful  maid-of-all-work,  who,  being  feeble  of  intellect 
and  fond  of  society,  regarded  the  prospect  of  spend 
ing  the  afternoon  with  her  as  a  source  of  absolute 
rejoicing.  The  "  Sepoy,"  as  she  was  familiarly  desig 
nated  by  the  family,  was  strongly  attached  to  Dolly, 


78  VAGABONDIA. 

as,  indeed,  she  was  to  every  other  member  of  the 
household.  The  truth  was,  that  the  usefulness  of 
the  Sepoy  (whose  baptismal  name  was  Belinda)  was 
rather  an  agreeable  fiction  than  a  well-established 
fact.  She  had  been  adopted  as  a  matter  of  charity, 
and  it  was  charity  rather  than  any  recognized  bril 
liance  of  parts  which  caused  her  to  be  retained. 
Phil  had  picked  her  up  on  the  streets  one  night  in 
time  gone  by,  and  had  brought  her  home  principally 
because  her  rags  were  soaked  and  she  had  asserted 
that  she  had  nowhere  to  go  for  shelter,  and  partly, 
it  must  be  confessed,  because  she  was  a  curiosity. 
Having  taken  her  in,  nobody  was  stern  enough 
to  turn  her  out  to  face  her  fate  again,  and  so  she 
stayed.  Nobody  taught  her  anything  in  particular 
about  household  economy,  because  nobody  knew  any 
thing  particular  to  teach  her.  It  was  understood 
that  she  was  to  do  what  she  could,  and  that  what  she 
could  not  do  should  be  shared  among  them.  She 
could  fetch  and  carry,  execute  small  commissions, 
manage  the  drudgery  and  answer  the  door-bell,  when 
she  was  presentable,  which  was  not  often ;  indeed, 
this  last  duty  had  ceased  to  devolve  upon  her,  after 
she  had  once  confronted  Lady  Augusta  with  personal 
adornments  so  remarkable  as  to  strike  that  august 
lady  dumb  and  rigid  with  indignation  upon  the 
threshold,  and  cause  her,  when  she  recovered  herself, 
to  stonily,  but  irately  demand  an  explanation  of  the 


VAGABONDIA.  79 

gratuitous  insult  she  considered  had  been  offered  her. 
Belinda's  place  was  in  the  kitchen,  after  this,  and  to 
these  regions  she  usually  confined  herself,  happily 
vigorous  in  the  discharge  of  her  daily  duties.  She 
was  very  fond  of  Dolly,  and  hailed  the  approach  of 
her  days  of  freedom  with  secret  demonstrations  of 
joy.  She  hoarded  the  simple  presents  of  finery  given 
her  by  that  young  person  with  care,  and  regarded 
them  in  the  light  of  sacred  talismans.  A  subtle 
something  in  her  dwarfed,  feeble,  starved-out  nature 
was  stirred,  it  may  be,  by  the  sight  of  the  girl's  life 
and  brightness  ;  and,  apart  from  this,  it  would  not  have 
been  like  Dolly  Ore  we  if  she  had  not  sympathized,  half 
unconsciously,  half  because  she  was  constitutionally 
sympathetic,  with  even  this  poor  stray.  If  she  had 
been  of  a  more  practical  turn  of  mind,  in  all  proba 
bility  she  would  have  taken  Belinda  in  hand  and 
attacked  the  work  of  training  her  with  laudable  per 
sistence  ;  but,  as  it  was,  private  misgivings  as  to  the 
strength  of  her  own  domestic  accomplishments  caused 
her  to  confine  herself  to  more  modest  achievements. 
She  could  encourage  her,  at  least,  and  encourage  her 
she  did  with  divers  good-natured  speeches  and  a 
leniency  of  demeanor  which  took  the  admiring  Sepoy 
by  storm. 

Saturday  became  a  white  day  in  the  eyes  of  Be 
linda,  because,  being  a  holiday,  it  left  Dolly  at  liberty 
to  descend  into  the  kitchen  and  apply  herself  to  the 


80  VAGABOND1A. 

study  of  cookery  as  a  science,  with  much  agreeable 
bustle  and  a  pleasant  display  of  high  spirit  and  en 
joyment  of  the  novelty  of  her  position.  She  had  her 
own  innocent  reasons  for  wishing  to  become  a  pro 
ficient  in  the  art,  and  if  her  efforts  were  not  always 
crowned  with  success,  the  appearance  of  her  handi 
work  upon  the  table  on  the  occasion  of  the  Sunday's 
dinner  never  disturbed  the  family  equilibrium,  prin 
cipally,  perhaps,  because  the  family  digestion  was 
unimpaired.  They  might  be  jocose,  they  had  been 
ironical,  but  they  were  never  severe,  and  they  always 
addressed  themselves  to  the  occasionally  arduous  task 
of  disposing  of  the  viands  with  an  indifference  to 
consequences  which  nothing  could  disturb. 

"  One  cannot  possibly  be  married  without  knowing 
something  of  cookery,"  Dolly  had  announced  oracu 
larly  ;  "  and  one  cannot  gain  a  knowledge  of  it  with 
out  practising,  so  I  am  going  to  practise.  None  of 
you  are  dyspeptic,  thank  goodness,  so  you  can  stand 
it.  The  only  risk  we  run  is  that  Tod  might  get 
hold  of  a  piece  of  the  pastry  and  be  cut  off  in  the 
bloom  of  his  youth  ;  but  we  must  keep  a  strict  watch 
upon  him." 

And  she  purchased  a  cookery  book  and  commenced 
operations,  and  held  to  her  resolve  with  Spartan  firm 
ness,  encouraged  by  private  but  enthusiastic  bursts  of 
commendation  from  Griffith,  who,  finding  her  out, 
read  the  tender  meaning  of  the  fanciful  seeming 


VAGABONDIA.  81 

whim,  and  was  so  touched  thereby  that  the  mere 
sight  of  her  in  her  nonsensical  little  affectation 
of  working  paraphernalia  raised  him  to  a  seventh 
heaven  of  bliss. 

When  she  made  her  entrance  into  the  kitchen  on 
this  occasion,  and  began  to  bustle  about  in  search 
for  her  apron,  Belinda,  who  was  on  her  knees  polish 
ing  the  grate,  amidst  a  formidable  display  of  rags 
and  brushes,  paused  to  take  breath  and  look  at  her 
admiringly. 

"  Are  yer  goin'  to  make  yer  pies  'n  things,  Miss 
Dolly  ? "  she  asked.  "  Which,  if  ye  are,  yer  apern  's 
in  the  left  'and  dror." 

"  So  it  is,"  said  Dolly.  "Thank  you.  Now  where 
is  the  cookery  book  ?  " 

"  Left  'and  dror  agin,"  announced  Belinda,  with  a 
faint  grin.  "  I  allus  puts  it  there." 

Whereupon  Dolly,  making  industrious  search  for 
it,  found  it,  and  applied  herself  to  a  deep  study  of  it, 
resting  her  white  elbows  on  the  dresser,  and  looking 
as  if  she  had  been  suddenly  called  upon  to  master  its 
contents  or  be  led  to  the  stake.  She  could  not  help 
being  intense  and  in  earnest  even  over  this  every-day 
problem  of  pies  and  puddings. 

"  Fricassee  ?  "  she  murmured.  "  Fricassee  was  a 
failure,  so  was  mock-turtle  soup ;  it  looked  discour 
aging,  and  the  fat  would  swim  about  in  a  way  that  at 
tracted  attention.  Croquettes  were  not  so  bad,  though 

6 


82  VAGABONDIA. 

they  were  a  little  stringy;  but  beef  a  la  mode  was 
positively  unpleasant.  Jugged  hare  did  very  well,  but 
oyster  pates  were  dubious.  Veal  pie  Griffith  liked." 

"  There 's  somebody  a-ringin'  at  the  door-bell/'  said 
Belinda,  breaking  in  upon  her.  "  He  's  rung  twict, 
which  I  can  go,  mum,  if  I  ain't  got  no  smuts." 

Dolly  looked  up  from  her  book. 

"  Some  one  is  going  now,  I  think,"  she  said.  "  I 
hope  it  is  n't  a  visitor,"  listening  attentively. 

But  it  was  a  visitor,  unfortunately.  In  a  few  min 
utes  Mollie  came  in,  studiously  perusing  a  card  she 
held  in  her  hand. 

"  Ealph,"  she  proclaimed,  coming  forward  slowly. 
"Kalph  Gowan.  It's  Lady  Augusta's  gentleman, 
Dolly,  and  he  wants  to  see  you." 

Dolly  took  the  card  and  looked  at  it,  giving  her 
shoulders  a  tiny  shrug  of  surprise. 

"He  has  not  waited  long,"  she  said;  "and  it  is 
rather  inconvenient,  but  it  can't  be  helped.  I  sup 
pose  I  shall  have  to  run  up-stairs  and  present  him  to 
Phil." 

She  untied  her  apron,  drew  down  her  sleeves,  set 
tled  the  bit  of  ribbon  at  her  throat,  and  in  three  min 
utes  opened  the  parlor  door  and  greeted  her  visitor, 
looking  quite  as  much  in  the  right  place  as  she  had 
done  the  night  before  in  the  white  merino. 

"I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,"  she  said,  shaking 
hands  with  him,  "  and  I  arn  sure  Phil  will  be,  too. 


VAGABONDIA.  83 

He  is  always  glad  to  see  people,  and  just  now  you 
will  be  doubly  welcome,  because  he  has  a  new  picture 
to  talk  about.  Will  you  come  into  the  studio,  or 
shall  I  bring  him  here  ?  I  think  it  had  better  be  the 
studio  at  once,  because  you  will  be  sure  to  drift  there 
in  the  end,  —  visitors  always  do" 

"The  studio  let  it  be,  if  you  please,"  answered 
Go  wan,  wondering,  just  as  he  had  done  the  night  be 
fore,  at  the  indescribable  something  in  her  manner 
which  was  so  novel  because  it  was  so  utterly  free 
from  any  suggestion  of  affectation.  It  would  have 
been  a  difficult  matter  to  tell  her  that  he  had  not 
come  for  any  other  reason  than  to  see  herself  again, 
and  yet  this  really  was  the  case. 

But  his  rather  fanciful  taste  found  Phil  a  novelty 
also  when  she  led  him  into  the  studio,  and  presented 
him  to  that  young  man,  who  was  lying  upon  a  couch 
with  a  cigar  in  his  mouth. 

Phil  had  something  of  the  same  cool  friendliness  of 
deportment,  and,  being  used  to  the  unexpected  advent 
of  guests  at  all  hours,  was  quite  ready  to  welcome 
him.  He  had  the  same  faculty  for  making  noticeable 
speeches,  too,  and  was  amiable,  though  languid  and 
ddbonnaire,  and  by  no  means  prone  to  ceremony.  In 
ten  minutes  after  he  had  entered  the  room  Ralph 
Gowan  understood,  as  by  magic,  that,  little  as  the 
world  was  to  these  people,  they  had,  in  their  Bohe 
mian  fashion,  learned  through  sheer  tact  to  compre- 


84  VAGABONDIA. 

hend  and  tolerate  its  weaknesses.  He  examined  the 
pictures  on  the  walls  and  in  the  folios,  and  now  and 
then  found  himself  roused  into  something  more  than 
ordinary  admiration.  But  he  was  disappointed  in  one 
thing.  He  failed  in  accomplishing  the  object  of  his 
visit. 

After  she  had  seen  that  Phil  and  the  paintings  oc 
cupied  his  attention  to  some  extent,  Dolly  left  them. 

"I  was  beginning  to  think  about  pies  and  pud 
dings  when  you  came,"  she  said,  "  and  I  must  go  back 
to  them.  Saturday  is  the  only  day  Lady  Augusta 
leaves  me,  in  which  to  improve  in  branches  of  domes 
tic  usefulness,"  with  an  iniquitous  imitation  of  her 
ladyship's  manner. 

After  which  she  went  down  to  the  kitchen  again 
and  plunged  into  culinary  detail  with  renewed  vigor, 
thinking  of  the  six-roomed  house  in  the  suburbs,  and 
the  green  sofa  which  was  to  fit  into  the  alcove  in  the 
front  parlor,  growing  quite  happy  over  the  mental 
picture,  in  blissful  unconsciousness  of  the  fact  that  a 
train  had  been  that  day  laid,  and  that  a  spark  would 
be  applied  that  very  night  through  the  medium  of  a 
simple  observation  made  by  Phil  to  her  lover. 

"  Gowan  was  here  this  morning,  Grif,  and  Dolly 
brought  him  into  the  studio.  He 's  not  a  bad  sort  of 
fellow  for  a  Philistine,  and  he  seems  to  know  some 
thing  about  pictures.  I  should  n't  be  surprised  if  he 
came  again." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  LILY   OF  THE  FIELD. 

was  the  significant  and  poetic  appellation 
which  at  once  attached  itself  to  Ralph  Gowan 
after  his  first  visit  to  the  studio  in  Bloomsbury  Place, 
and,  as  might  have  been  expected,  it  was  a  fancy  of 
Dolly's,  the  affixing  of  significant  titles  being  one  of 
her  fortes. 

"The  lilies  of  the  field,"  she  observed,  astutely, 
"are  a  distinct  class.  They  toil  not,  neither  do  they 
spin,  and  yet  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  ar 
rayed  like  one  of  these.  Yes,  my  young  friends,  Mr. 
Ralph  Gowan  is  a  lily  of  the  field." 

And  she  was  not  far  wrong.  Twenty-seven  years 
before  Mr.  Ralph  Gowan  had  been  presented  to  an 
extended  circle  of  admiring  friends  as  the  sole  heir  to 
a  fortune  large  enough  to  have  satisfied  the  ambitions 
of  half  a  dozen  heirs  of  moderate  aspirations,  and 
from  that  time  forward  his  lines  had  continually 
fallen  in  pleasant  places.  As  a  boy  he  had  been 
handsome,  attractive,  and  thoroughbred,  and  conse 
quently  popular ;  his  good  looks  made  him  a  favorite 


86  VAGABONDIA.     - 

with  women,  his  good  fortune  with  men ;  his  friends 
were  rather  proud  of  him,  and  his  enemies  were  pow 
erless  against  him ;  he  found  it  easy  to  be  amiable 
because  no  obstacles  to  amiability  lay  in  his  path ; 
and  altogether  he  regarded  existence  as  a  comfortable 
enough  affair. 

At  school  his  fellows  had  liked  him  just  as  boys  as 
well  as  men  are  apt  to  like  fortunate  people ;  and  as 
he  had  grown  older  he  had  always  found  himself  a 
favorite,  it  may  be  for  something  of  the  same  reason. 
But  bein£,  happily,  a  gentleman  by  nature,  he  had 
not  been1  much  spoiled  by  the  general  adulation. 
Having  been  born  to  it,  he  carried  himself  easily 
through  it,  scarcely  recognizing  the  presence  of  what 
would  have  been  patent  to  men  less  used  to  popu 
larity.  He  was  fond  of  travelling,  and  so  had 
amused  himself  by  comfortably  arranging  uncom 
fortable  journeys  and  exploring  pleasantly  those  parts 
of  the  earth  which  to  ordinary  tourists  would  appear 
unattainable. 

He  was  not  an  ordinary  young  man,  upon  the 
whole,  which  was  evinced  by  his  making  no  attempt 
to  write  a  book  of  travels,  though  he  might  safely 
have  done  so ;  and  really,  upon  the  whole,  "  lily  of 
the  field "  though  chance  had  made  him,  he  was 
neither  useless  nor  purposeless,  and  rather  deserved 
his  good  luck  than  otherwise. 

Perhaps  it   was  because  he  was  not  an  ordinary 


VAGABONDIA.  87 

individual  that  his  fancy  was  taken  by  the  glimpse 
he  had  caught  of  life  in  Vagabondia.  It  was  his  first 
glimpse  of  the  inner  workings  of  such  a  life,  and 
its  novelty  interested  him.  A  girl  of  twenty-two  who 
received  attention  and  admiration  in  an  enjoyable, 
matter-of-fact  manner,  as  if  she  was  used  to  and 
neither  over-  nor  under- valued  it,  who  could  make 
coffee  and  conversation  bearable  and  even  exciting, 
who  could  hold  her  own  against  patronage  and  slights, 
and  be  as  piquant  and  self-possessed  at  home  as  in 
society,  who  could  be  dazzling  at  night  and  charming 
in  the  morning,  was  novelty  enough  in  herself  to 
make  Bloomsbury  Place  attractive,  even  at  its  din 
giest,  and  there  were  other  attractions  aside  from  this 
one. 

Phil  in  the  studio,  taking  life  philosophically,  and 
regarding  the  world  and  society  in  general  \vith  sub 
lime  and  amiable  tolerance,  was  as  unique  in  his  way 
as  Dolly  was  in  hers ;  his  handsome  girl-wife,  who 
had  come  in  to  them  with  her  handsome  child  in  her 
arms,  was  unique  also ;  Mollie  herself,  who  had 
opened  the  door  and  quite  startled  him  with  the 
mere  sight  of  her  face,  —  well,  Mollie  had  impressed 
him  as  she  impressed  everybody.  And  he  was  quite 
observant  enough  to  see  the  element  of  matter-of- 
fact,  half-jocular  affection  that  bound  them  one  to 
another  ;  he  could  not  help  seeing  it,  and  it  almost 
touched  him.  They  were  not  a  sentimental  assembly, 


88  VAGABONDIA. 

upon  the  whole,  but  they  were  fond  of  each  other  in 
a  style  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  ready  to  unite  in 
any  cause  which  was  the  cause  of  the  common  weal. 
The  family  habit  of  taking  existence  easily  and  regard 
ing  misfortunes  from  a  serenely  philosophical  stand 
point,  amused  Ealph  Gowan  intensely.  It  had 
spiced  Dolly's  conversation,  and  it  spiced  Phil's  ;  in 
deed,  it  showed  itself  in  more  than  words.  They  had 
banded  themselves  against  unavoidable  tribulation, 
and  it  could  not  fail  to  be  beautifully  patent  to  the 
far-seeing  mind  that,  taking  all  things  together,  trib 
ulation  had  the  worst  of  it. 

They  were  an  artistic  study,  Ralph  Gowan  found, 
and  so,  in  his  character  of  a  "  lily  of  the  field,"  he 
fell  into  the  habit  of  studying  them,  as  an  amuse 
ment  at  first,  afterwards  because  his  liking  for  them 
became  friendly  and  sincere. 

It  was  an  easy  matter  to  call  again  after  the  first 
visit,  —  people  always  did  call  again  at  Bloomsbury 
Place,  and  Ealph  Gowan  was  no  exception  to  the 
rule.  He  met  Phil  in  the  city,  and  sauntered  home 
with  him  to  discuss  art  and  look  at  his  work  ;  he  in 
vited  him  to  first-class  little  dinners,  and  introduced 
him  to  one  or  two  men  worth  knowing ;  in  short,  it 
was  not  long  before  the  two  were  fond  of  each 
other  in  undemonstrative  man  fashion.  The  studio 
was  the  sort  of  place  Gowan  liked  to  drop  into 
when  time  hung  heavily  on  his  hands,  and  conse- 


VAGABONDIA.  89 

quently  hardly  a  week  passed  without  his  having  at 
least  once  or  twice  dropped  into  it  to  sit  among  the 
half  dozen  of  Phil's  fellow  Bohemians,  who  were  also 
fond  of  dropping  in  as  the  young  man  sat  at  his  easel, 
sometimes  furiously  at  work,  sometimes  tranquilly 
loitering  over  the  finishing  touches  of  a  picture. 
They  were  good-natured,  jovial  fellows,  too,  these 
Bohemian  visitors,  though  they  were  more  frequently 
than  not  highly  scented  with  the  odor  of  inferior 
tobacco,  and  rarely  made  an  ostentatious  display  in 
the  matter  of  costume,  or  were  conspicuously  faultless 
in  the  matter  of  linen ;  they  failed  to  patronize  the 
hairdresser,  and  were  prone  to  various  convivialities, 
but  they  were  neither  vicious  nor  vulgar,  and  they 
were  singularly  faithful  to  their  friendships  for  each 
other.  They  were  all  fond  of  Phil,  and  accordingly 
fraternized  at  once  with  his  new  friend,  adopting  him 
into  their  circle  with  the  ease  of  manner  and  freedom 
of  sentiment  which  seemed  the  characteristic  of  their 
class ;  and  they  took  to  him  all  the  more  kindly  be 
cause,  amateur  though  he  was,  he  shared  many  of 
their  enthusiasms. 

Of  course  he  did  not  always  see  Dolly  when  he 
went.  During  every  other  day  of  the  week  but  Sat 
urday  she  spent  her  time  from  nine  in  the  morning 
until  five  in  the  afternoon  in  the  rather  depressing 
atmosphere  of  the  Bilberry  school-room.  She  vigor 
ously  assaulted  the  foundations  of  Lindley  Murray, 


90  VAGABONDIA. 

and  attacked  the  rules  of  arithmetic;  she  taught 
Phemie  French,  and  made  despairing  but  continu 
ous  efforts  at  "  finishing  "  her  in  music.  But  poor 
Phemie  was  not  easily  "  finished/'  and  hung  some 
what  heavily  upon  the  hands  of  her  youthful  in 
structress  ;  still,  she  was  affectionate,  if  weak-minded, 
and  so  Dolly  managed  to  retain  her  good  spirits. 

"  I  believe  they  are  all  fond  of  me  in  their  way," 
she  said  to  Griffith,  —  "  all  the  children,  I  mean ;  and 
that  is  something  to  be  thankful  for." 

"They  couldn't  help  being  fond  of  you,"  returned 
the  young  man.  "  Did  any  human  being  ever  know 
you  without  being  fond  of  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Dolly ;  "  Lady  Augusta  knows  me ;  and 
I  do  not  think  —  no,"  with  a  cheerfully  resigned 
shake  of  the  head,  which  did  not  exactly  express 
deep  regret  or  contrition,  "  I  really  do  not  think  Lady 
Augusta  is  what  you  might  call  overwhelmed  with 
the  strength  of  her  attachment  for  me." 

"Oh,  Lady  Augusta!"  said  Griffith.  "Confound 
Lady  Augusta ! " 

Griffith  was  one  of  the  very  few  people  who  did 
not  like  Ptalph  Gowan,  and  perhaps  charitably  in 
clined  persons  will  be  half  inclined  to  excuse  his 
weakness.  It  was  rather  trying,  it  must  be  admitted, 
for  a  clesponding  young  man  rather  under  stress  of 
weather,  so  to  speak,  to  find  himself  thrown  into 
sharp  contrast  with  an  individual  who  had  sailed  in 


VAGABONDIA.  91 

smooth  waters  all  his  life,  and  to  whom  a  ripple 
would  have  been  a  by  no  means  unpleasant  excite 
ment  ;  it  was  rather  chafing  to  constantly  encounter 
this  favorite  of  fortune  in  the  best  of  humors,  because 
he  had  nothing  to  irritate  him;  thoroughbred,  un 
ruffled,  and  dfbonnaire  because  he  had  nothing  of 
pain  or  privation  to  face;  handsome,  well  dressed, 
and  at  ease,  because  his  income  and  his  tastes  bal 
anced  against  each  other  accommodatingly.  Human 
nature  rose  up  and  battled  in  the  Vagabondian  breast  ; 
there  were  times  when,  for  the  privilege  of  adminis 
tering  severe  corporeal  chastisement  to  Ealph  Gowan, 
Griffith  would  have  sacrificed  his  modest  salary  with 
a  Christian  fortitude  and  resignation  beautiful  to 
behold.  To  see  him  sitting  in  one  of  the  faded 
padded  chairs,  roused  all  his  ire,  and  his  conscious 
ness  of  his  own  weakness  made  the  matter  worse  ;  to 
see  him  talking  to  Dolly,  and  see  her  making  brisk 
little  jokes  for  his  amusement,  was  worse  still,  and 
drove  him  so  frantic  that  more  than  once  he  had 
turned  quite  pale  in  his  secret  frenzy  of  despair  and 
jealousy,  and  had  quite  frightened  the  girl,  though 
he  vras  wise  enough  to  keep  his  secret  to  himself.  It 
was  plain  enough  that  Gowan  admired  Dolly,  but 
Dther  men  had  admired  her  before  ;  the  sting  of  it 
"was  that  this  fellow,  with  his  cool  airs  and  graces 
and  tantalizing  repose  of  manner,  had  no  need  to 
hold  back  if  he  could  win  her.  There  would  be  no 


92  VAGABONDIA. 

need  for  him  to  plan  and  pinch  and  despair;  no 
need  for  faltering  over  odd  shillings  and  calculating 
odd  pence  ;  he  could  marry  her  in  an  hour  if  she  cared 
for  him,  and  he  could  surround  her  with  luxuries, 
and  dress  her  like  a  queen,  and  make  her  happy,  as 
she  deserved  to  be.  And  then  the  poor  fellow's  heart 
would  beat  fiercely,  and  the  very  blood  would  tremble 
in  his  veins,  at  the  mere  thought  of  giving  her  up. 

One  night  after  they  had  been  sitting  together, 
and  Gowan  had  just  left  the  room  with  Phil,  Dolly 
glanced  up  from  her  work  and  saw  her  lover  looking 
at  her  with  a  face  so  pale  and  wretched  that  she  was 
thrown  into  a  passion  of  fear. 

She  tossed  her  work  away  in  a  second,  and,  making- 
one  of  her  little  rushes  at  him,  was  caught  in  his 
arms  and  half  suffocated.  She  knew  the  instant  she 
caught  sight  of  his  face  what  he  was  suffering,  though 
perhaps  she  did  not  know  the  worst. 

"  Oh,  why  will  you  ? "  she  cried  out,  in  tears,  all 
at  once.  "  It  is  cruel !  You  are  as  pale  as  death, 
and  I  know  —  I  know  so  well  what  it  means." 

4(  Tell  me  you  will  never  forget  what  we  have 
been  to  each  other,"  he  said,  when  he  could  speak; 
"tell  me  you  don't  care  for  that  fellow,  —  tell  me 
you  love  me,  Dolly,  tell  me  you  love  me." 

She  did  not  hesitate  a  moment;  she  had  never 
flirted  with  Griffith  in  her  life,  and  she  knew  him  too 
well  to  try  him  when  he  wore  that  desperate,  fever- 


VAGABONDIA.  93 

ish  look  of  longing  in  his  eyes.  She  burst  into  an 
impetuous  sob,  and  clung  to  him  with  both  hands. 

"  I  love  you  with  all  my  soul/'  she  said.  "I  will 
never  let  you  give  me  up ;  and  as  to  forgetting,  I 
might  die,  but  I  could  never  forget.  Care  for  Ealph 
Go  wan  !  I  love  you,  Griffith,  I  love  you ! " 

"And  you  don't  regret?"  he  said,  piteously.  "Oh, 
Dolly,  just  think  of  what  he  could  give  you;  and 
then  think  of  our  hopeless  dreams  about  miserable 
six-roomed  houses  and  cheap  furniture." 

"You  will  make  me  hate  him,"  cried  Dolly,  her 
gust  of  love  and  pity  making  her  fierce.  "I  don't 
want  anything  anybody  could  give  me.  I  only  want 
you,  dear  old  fellow,  —  darling  old  fellow,"  holding 
him  fast,  as  if  she  would  never  let  him  go,  and  shed 
ding  a  shower  of  impassioned,  tender  tears.  "  Oh, 
my  darling,  only  wait  until  I  am  your  own  wife,  and 
see  how  happy  I  will  be,  and  how  happy  I  will  make 
you, — for  I  can  make  you  happy,  —  and  see  how  I  will 
work  in  our  little  home  for  your  sake,  and  how  con 
tent  I  will  be  with  a  little.  Oh,  what  must  I  do  to 
show  you  how  I  love  you !  Do  you  think  I  could 
have  cared  for  Ealph  Gowan  all  these  years  as  I  have 
cared  for  you  ?  No  indeed ;  but  I  shall  care  for  you 
forever,  and  I  would  wait  for  you  a  thousand  years  if 
I  might  only  be  your  wife,  and  die  in  your  arms  at 
the  end  of  it." 

And  she  believed  every  word   she  said,  too,  and 


94  VAGABONDIA. 

would  have  been  willing  to  lay  down  her  young  life 
to  prove  it,  extravagant  as  it  may  all  sound  to  the 
discreet.  And  she  quite  believed,  too,  that  she  could 
never  have  so  loved  any  other  man  than  this  unlucky, 
jealous,  tempestuous  one ;  but  I  will  take  the  liberty 
of  saying  that  this  was  a  mistake,  for,  being  an  impas 
sioned,  heart-ruled,  unworldly  young  person,  it  is 
quite  likely  that  if  Ealph  Gowan  had  stood  in  Mr. 
Griffith  Donne's  not  exactly  water-tight  shoes,  she 
would  have  clung  to  him  quite  as  faithfully,  and 
believed  in  his  perfections  quite  as  implicitly,  and 
quite  as  scornfully  would  have  depreciated  the  merits 
of  his  rival ;  but  chance  had  arranged  the  matter  for 
her  years  before,  and  so  Mr.  Griffith  was  the  hero. 

"  Ealph  Gowan  ! "  she  flung  out.  "What  is  Ealph 
Gowan,  or  any  other  man  on  earth,  to  me  ?  Did  I 
love  him  before  I  knew  what  love  was,  and  scarcely 
understood  my  own  heart  ?  Did  I  grow  into  a  wo 
man  loving  him  and  clinging  to  him  and  dreaming 
about  him  ?  Have  I  ever  had  any  troubles  in  com 
mon  with  him  ?  Did  we  grow  up  together,  and  tell 
each  other  all  our  thoughts  and  help  each  other  to 
bear  things  ?  Let  him  travel  in  the  East,  if  he  likes," 
—  with  high  and  rather  inconsistent  disdain,  —  "  and 
let  him  have  ten  thousand  a  year,  if  he  will,  —  a  hun 
dred  thousand  millions  a  year  wouldn't  buy  me  from 
you — my  own  ! "  In  another  burst,  "  Let  him  ride  in 
his  carriage,  if  he  chooses," — rather,  as  if  such  a  course 


VAGABONDIA.  95 

would  imply  the  most  degraded  weakness ;  but,  as  I 
have  said  before,  she  was  illogical,  if  affectionate,  — 
"  let  him  ride  in  his  carriage.  I  would  rather  walk 
barefoot  through  the  world  with  you  than  ride  in  a 
hundred  carriages,  if  every  one  of  them  was  lined 
with  diamonds  and  studded  with  pearls." 

There  was  the  true  flavor  of  Vagabondia's  indiscre 
tion  and  want  of  forethought  in  this,  I  grant  you ; 
but  such  speeches  as  these  were  Dolly  Ore  we' s  mode 
of  comforting  her  lover  in  his  dark  moods  ;  at  least, 
she  was  sincere,  —  and  sincerity  will  excuse  many 
touches  of  extravagance.  And  as  to  Griffith,  every 
touch  of  loving,  foolish  rhapsody  dropped  upon  his 
heart  like  dew  from  heaven,  filling  him  with  rapture 
and  drawing  him  nearer  to  her  than  before. 

"But,"  he  objected,  —  a  rather  weak  objection, 
offered  rather  weakly,  because  he  was  so  full  of  re 
newed  confidence  and  bliss,  — "  but  he  is  a  handsomer 
fellow  than  I  am,  Dolly,  and  it  must  be  confessed 
he  has  good  taste." 

"  Handsomer  !  "  echoed  Dolly.  "  What  do  I  care 
about  his  beauty  ?  He  is  n't  you,  —  that  is  where  he 
fails  to  come  up  to  the  mark.  And  as  to  his  good 
taste,  do  you  suppose  for  a  second  that  I  could  ever 
admire  the  most  imposing  '  get-up '  by  Poole,  as  I 
love  this  threadbare  coat  of  yours,  that  I  have  laid 
my  cheek  against  for  the  last  three  years  ? "  And  she 
bent  down  all  at  once  and  kissed  the  shabby  sleeve. 


96  VAGABONDIA. 

" No"  she  said,  looking  up  the  next  minute  with 
her  eyes  as  bright  as  stars.  "  We  have  been  given 
to  each  other,  that  is  it.  It  was  n't  chance,  it  was 
something  higher.  We  needed  each  other,  and  a 
higher  power  than  Fate  bound  us  together,  and  it 
was  a  power  that  is  n't  cruel  enough  to  separate  us 
now,  after  all  these  years  have  woven  our  lives  in 
one  chord,  and  drawn  our  hearts  close,  and  taught  us 
how  to  comfort  and  bear  with  each  other.  I  was 
given  to  you  because  I  could  help  to  make  your  life 
brighter,  —  and  you  were  given  to  me  because  you 
could  help  to  brighten  mine,  and  God  will  never  part 
us  so  long  as  we  are  true." 

The  coat  sleeve  came  into  requisition  again  then, 
as  it  often  did.  Her  enthusiastic  burst  ended  in  a 
gush  of  heart-full  tears,  and  she  hid  her  face  on  the 
coat  sleeve  until  they  were  shed ;  Griffith  in  the 
mean  time  touching  her  partly  bent  head  caressingly 
with  his  hand,  but  remaining  silent  because  he  could 
not  trust  himself  to  speak. 

But  she  became  quieter  at  last,  and  got  over  it  so 
far  as  to  look  up  and  smile. 

"  I  could  n't  give  up  the  six-roomed  house  and  the 
green  sofa,  Griffith,"  she  said.  "  They  are  like  a  great 
many  other  things,  —  the  more  I  don't  get  them  the 
more  I  want  them.  And  the  long  winter  evenings 
we  are  to  spend  together,  when  you  are  to  read  and 
I  am  to  sew,  and  we  are  both  to  be  blissfully  happy. 


VAGABONDIA.  97 

I  could  n't  give  those  up  on  any  account.  And  how 
could  I  bear  to  see  Ealph  Gowan,  or  any  one  else, 
seated  in  the  oithodox  arm-chair  ? " 

The  very  idea  of  this  latter  calamity  occurring 
crushed  Griffith  completely.  The  long  winter  even 
ings  they  were  to  spend  together  were  such  a  pleasant 
legend.  Scarcely  a  day  passed  without  his  drawing 
a  mental  picture  of  the  room  which  was  to  be  their 
parlor,  and  of  the  fireside  Dolly  was  to  adorn.  It 
required  only  a  slight  effort  of  imagination  to  picture 
her  shining  in  the  tiny  room  whose  door  closed  upon 
an  outside  world  of  struggling  and  an  inside  world 
of  love  and  hope  and  trust.  He  imagined  Dolly 
under  a  variety  of  circumstances,  but  nothing  pleased 
and  touched  him  so  tenderly  as  this  fireside  picture, 
—  its  ideal  warmth  and  glow,  and  its  poetic  placing 
of  Dolly  as  his  wife  sitting  near  to  him  with  her 
smiles  and  winsome  ways  and  looks  —  his  own,  at 
last,  unshared  by  any  outsiders.  Giving  that  long- 
cherished  fancy  up  would  have  killed  him,  if  he  could 
have  borne  all  the  rest.  And  while  these  two  expe 
rienced  the  recorded  fluctuations  of  their  romance  in 
private,  Ealph  Gowan  had  followed  Phil  into  the 
studio. 

They  found  Mollie  there  on  going  into  the  room ; 
and  Mollie  lying  upon  the  sofa  asleep,  with  her 
brown  head  upon  a  big  soft  purple  cushion,  was 
quite  worthy  a  second  glance.  She  had  been  rather 

7 


98  VAGABONDIA. 

overpowered  in  the  parlor  by  the  presence  of  Kalpk 
Gowan,  and,  knowing  there  was  a  fire  in  the  studio, 
and  a  couch  drawn  near  it,  she  had  retired  there,  and, 
appropriating  a  pile  of  cushions,  had  dropped  asleep, 
and  lay  there  curled  up  among  them. 

Seeing  her,  Gowan  found  himself  smiling  faintly. 
Mollie  amused  him  just  as  she  amused  Dolly.  It 
was  so  difficult  a  matter  to  assign  her  any  settled 
position  in  the  world.  She  was  taller  than  the  other 
girls,  and  far  larger  and  more  statuesque;  indeed, 
there  were  moments  when  she  seemed  to  be  almost 
imposing  in  presence,  but  this  only  rendered  her  still 
more  a  charming  incongruity.  She  might  have  car 
ried  herself  like  a  royal  princess,  but  she  blushed  up 
to  the  tips  of  her  ears  at  a  glance,  and  was  otherwise 
as  innocently  awkward  as  a  beauty  may  be.  She 
was  not  fond  of  strangers  either,  and  generally  lapsed 
into  silence  when  spoken  to.  Public  admiration 
only  disconcerted  her,  and  made  her  pout,  and  the 
unceremonious  but  friendly  compliments  of  Phil's 
brethren  in  art  were  her  special  grievance. 

"  They  stare  at  me,  and  stare  at  me,  and  stare  at 
me,"  she  complained,  pettishly,  to  Dolly,  "  and  some 
of  them  say  things  to  me.  I  wish  they  would  attend 
to  their  pictures  and  leave  me  alone." 

But  she  had  never  evinced  any  particular  dislike 
to  Ealph  Gowan.  She  was  overpowered  by  a  secret 
sense  of  his  vast  superiority  to  the  generality  of 


VAGABONDIA.  99 

mankind,  but  she  rather  admired  him  upon  the  whole. 
She  liked  to  hear  him  talk  to  Dolly,  and  she  approved 
of  his  style.  It  was  such  a  novel  sort  of  thing  to 
meet  with  a  man  who  was  not  shabby,  and  whose 
clothes  seemed  made  for  him  and  were  worn  with  a 
grace.  He  was  handsome,  too,  and  witty  and  po 
lite,  and  his  cool,  comfortable  manner  reminded  her 
vaguely  of  Dolly's  own.  So  she  used  to  sit  and 
listen  to  the  two  as  they  chatted,  and  in  the  end  her 
guileless  admiration  of  Dolly's  eligible  Philistine  be 
came  pretty  thoroughly  established. 

When  the  sound  of  advancing  footsteps  roused 
her  from  her  nap  she  woke  with  great  tranquillity, 
and  sat  up  rubbing  her  drowsy  eyes  serenely  for  a 
minute  or  so  before  she  discovered  that  Phil  had 
a  companion.  But  when  she  did  discover  that  such 
was  the  fact  she  blushed  all  over,  and  looked  up  at 
Ralph  Gowan  in  some  naive  distress. 

"I  didn't  know  any  one  was  coming,"  she  said, 
"and  I  was  so  comfortable  that  I  fell  asleep.  It 
was  the  cushions,  I  think." 

"I  dare  say  it  was,"  answered  Gowan,  regarding 
her  sleep-flushed  cheeks  and  exquisite  eyes  with  the 
pleasure  he  always  felt  in  any  beauty,  animate  or 
inanimate.  "May  I  sit  here,  Mollie?"  and  then  he 
looked  at  her  again  and  decided  that  he  was  quite 
right  in  speaking  to  her  as  he  would  have  spoken  to 
a  child,  because  she  was  such  a  very  child. 


100  VAGABONDIA. 

"  By  me,  on  the  sofa  ? "  she  answered.     "  Oh,  yes." 

"  Are  you  going  to  talk  business  with  Phil  ? "  she 
asked  him  next,  "  or  may  I  stay  here  ?  Griffith  and 
Dolly  won't  want  me  in  the  parlor,  and  I  don't  want 
to  go  into  the  kitchen." 

"I  have  no  doubt  you  may  stay  here,"  he  said, 
quite  seriously ;  "  but  why  won't  they  want  you  in 
the  parlor  ? " 

"  They  never  want  anybody,"  astutely.  "  I  dare 
say  they  are  making  love,  —  they  generally  are." 

"  Making  love,"  he  repeated.  "  Ah,  indeed  !  "  and 
for  the  next  few  minutes  was  so  absorbed  in  thought 
that  Mollie  was  quite  forgotten. 

Making  love  were  they,  —  this  shabby,  rather  un- 
amiable  young  man  and  the  elder  Miss  Crewe  ?  It 
sounded  rather  like  nonsense  to  Ealph  Gowan,  but 
it  was  not  a  pleasant  sort  of  thing  to  think  about. 
It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  he  himself  was  very 
desperately  in  love  with  Dolly  just  yet,  but  it  must 
be  admitted  he  admired  her  decidedly.  Beauty  as 
Mollie  was,  he  scarcely  gave  her  a  glance  when 
Dolly  was  in  the  room,  —  he  recognized  the  beauty, 
but  it  did  not  enslave  him,  it  did  not  even  attract  him 
as  Dolly's  imperfect  charms  did.  And  perhaps  he 
had  his  own  ideas  of  what  Dolly's  love-making  would 
be,  of  the  spice  and  variety  which  would  form  its 
characteristics,  and  of  the  little  bursts  of  warmth  and 
affection  that  would  render  it  delightful.  It  was  not 


''•'  :  101 


soothing  to  think  of  all' this  'being  lavished' 'on  a 
shabby  young  man  who  was  not  always  urbane  in 
demeanor  and  who  stubbornly  objected  to  being  pro 
pitiated  by  politeness. 

As  was  very  natural,  Mr.  Ealph  Gowan  did  not 
admire  Mr.  Griffith  Donne  enthusiastically.  In  his 
visits  to  Bloomsbury  Place,  finding  an  ill-dressed 
young  man  whose  position  in  the  household  he  could 
not  understand,  he  began  by  treating  him  with 
good-natured  suavity,  being  ready  enough  to  make 
friends  with  him,  as  he  had  made  friends  with  the 
rest  of  Phil's  compatriots.  But  influenced  by  objec 
tions  to  certain  things,  Griffith  was  not  to  be  treated 
suavely,  but  rather  resented  it.  There  was  no  good 
reason  for  his  resenting  it,  but  resent  it  he  did,  as 
openly  as  he  could,  without  being  an  absolute  savage 
and  attracting  attention.  The  weakness  of  such  a 
line  of  conduct  is  glaringly  patent,  of  course,  to  the 
well-regulated  mind ;  but  then  Mr.  Griffith  Donne's 
mind  was  not  well-regulated,  and  he  was,  on  the  con 
trary,  a  very  hot-headed,  undisciplined  young  man, 
and  exceedingly  sensitive  to  his  own  misfortunes  and 
shabbiness,  and  infatuated  in  his  passion  for  the  ob 
ject  of  his  enemy's  admiration.  But  Ealph  Gowan 
could  afford  to  be  tolerant ;  in  the  matter  of  position 
he  was  secure,  he  had  never  been  .slighted  or  patron 
ized  in  his  life,  and  so  had  no  shrinkings  from  such 
an  ordeal ;  he  was  not  disturbed  by  any  bitter  pang 


102  VAGABONDIA. 

of  jealousy  as  yet,  -and  so,  'while  he  could  not  under 
stand  Griffith's  restless  anxiety  to  resent  his  presence, 
could  still  tolerate  it  and  keep  cool.  Yet,  as  might 
be  expected,  he  rather  underrated  his  antagonist. 
Seeing  him  only  in  this  one  unfavorable  light,  he  re 
garded  him  simply  as  a  rather  ill-bred,  or,  at  least, 
aggressively  inclined  individual,  whose  temper  and 
tone  of  mind  might  reasonably  be  objected  to.  Once 
or  twice  he  had  even  felt  his  own  blood  rise  at  some 
implied  ignoring  of  himself ;  but  he  was  far  the  more 
urbane  and  well-disposed  of  the  two,  yet  whether  he 
was  to  be  highly  lauded  for  his  forbearance,  or 
whether,  while  lauding  him,  it  would  not  be  as  well 
to  think  as  well  as  possible  of  his  enemy,  is  a  matter 
for  charity  to  decide. 

It  had  not  occurred  to  him  before  that  Griffith's 
frequent  and  unceremonious  visits  implied  anything 
very  serious.  There  were  so  many  free-and-easy 
visitors  at  the  house,  and  they  all  so  plainly  culti 
vated  Dolly,  if  they  did  not  make  actual  love  to  her  ; 
and  really  outsiders  would  hardly  have  been  im 
pressed  with  her  deportment  toward  her  betrothed. 
She  was  not  prone  to  exhibit  her  preference  senti 
mentally  in  public.  So  Kalph  Gowan  had  been  de 
ceived,  —  and  so  he  was  deceived  still. 

"  This  sort  of  fellow,"  as  he  mentally  put  it  with 
unconscious  high-handedness,  was  not  the  man  to 
make  such  a  woman  happy,  however  ready  she  was 


VAGABONDIA.  103 

to  bear  with  him.  It  was  just  such  men  as  he  was,, 
who,  when  the  novelty  of  possession  wore  off,  dete 
riorated  into  tyrannical,  irritable  husbands,  and  were 
not  too  well  bred  in  their  manners.  So  he  became 
reflective  and  silent,  when  Mollie  said  that  the  two 
were  "  making  love." 

But  at  last  it  occurred  to  him  that  even  to  Mollie 
his  preoccupation  might  appear  singular,  and  he 
roused  himself  accordingly. 

"  Making  love  !  "  he  said  again.  "  Blissful  occupa 
tion  !  I  wonder  how  they  do  it.  Do  you  know, 
Mollie  ?  " 

Mollie  looked  at  him  with  a  freedom  from  scruples 
or  embarrassment  at  the  conversation  taking  such  a 
turn,  which  told  its  own  story. 

"Yes,"  she  said.  "They  talk,  you  know,  and  say 
things  to  each  other  just  as  other  people  do,  and  he 
kisses  her  sometimes.  I  know  that,"  with  a  decided 
air,  "  because  I  have  seen  him  do  it." 

"  Cool  enough,  that,  upon  my  word,"  was  her  ques 
tioner's  mental  comment,  "  and  not  unpleasant  for 
Donne;  but  hardly  significant  of  a  fastidious  taste,  if 
it  is  a  public  exhibition."  "  Ah,  indeed  ! "  he  said, 
aloud. 

"  They  have  been  engaged  so  long,  you  know,"  vol 
unteered  Mollie. 

"  Singularly  enough,  I  did  not  know,  Mollie,"  he 
replied.  "  Are  you  sure  yourself  ? " 


104  VAGABONDIA. 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  exclaimed  Mollie,  opening  her  eyea 
'  I  thought  everybody  knew  that.  They  have  been 
engaged  ever  since  they  were  ever  so  much  younger. 
Dolly  was  only  fifteen,  and  Griffith  was  only  eigh 
teen,  when  they  first  fell  in  love." 

"And  they  have  been  engaged  ever  since?"  said 
Gowan,  his  curiosity  getting  decidedly  the  better  of 
him. 

"Yes,  and  would  have  been  married  long  ago,  if 
Griffith  could  have  got  into  something;  or  if  Old 
Flynn  would  have  raised  his  salary.  He  has  only  a 
hundred  a  year,"  with  unabashed  frankness,  "and, 
of  course,  they  couldn't  be  married  on  that,  so 
they  are  obliged  to  wait.  A  hundred  and  fifty  would 
do,  Dolly  says,  —  but  then,  they  have  n't  got  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty." 

Ealph  Gowan  was  meanly  conscious  of  not  being 
overpowered  with  regret  on  hearing  this  latter  state 
ment  of  facts.  And  yet  he  was  by  no  means  devoid 
of  generous  impulse.  He  was  quite  honest,  however 
deeply  he  might  be  mistaken,  in  deciding  that  it 
would  be  an  unfortunate  thing  for  Dolly  if  she  mar 
ried  Griffith  Donne.  He  thought  he  was  right,  and 
certainly  if  there  had  been  no  more  good  in  his  rival 
than  he  himself  had  seen  on  the  surface,  he  would 
not  have  been  far  wrong ;  but  as  it  was  he  was  un 
consciously  very  far  wrong  indeed.  He  ran  into  the 
almost  excusable  extreme  of  condemning  Griffith 


VAGABONDIA.  105 

upon  circumstantial  evidence.  Unfair  advantage 
had  been  taken  of  Dolly,  he  told  himself.  She  had 
engaged  herself  before  she  knew  her  own  heart,  and 
was  true  to  her  lover  because  it  was  not  in  her  nature 
to  be  false.  Besides,  what  right  has  a  man  with  a 
hundred  a  year  to  bind  any  woman  to  the  prospect  of 
the  life  of  narrow  economies  and  privations  such  an 
income  would  necessarily  entail  ?  And  forthwith  his 
admiration  of  Dolly  became  touched  with  pity,  and 
increased  fourfold.  She  was  unselfish,  at  least,  what 
ever  her  affianced  might  be.  Poor  little  soul !  (It  is 
a  circumstance  worthy  of  note,  because  illustrative  of 
the  blindness  of  human  nature,  that  at  this  very 
moment  Miss  Dorothea  Crewe  was  enjoying  her 
quiet  tete-d-tete  with  her  lover  wondrously,  and  would 
not  have  changed  places  with  any  young  lady  in  the 
kingdom  upon  any  consideration  whatever.) 

It  is  not  at  all  to  be  wondered  at  that,  in  the 
absence  of  other  entertainment,  Gowan  drifted  into  a 
confidential  chat  with  Mollie.  She  was  the  sort  of 
girl  few  people  could  have  remained  entirely  indiffer 
ent  to.  Her  naivete  was  as  novel  as  her  beauty,  and 
her  weakness,  so  to  speak,  was  her  strength.  Gowan 
found  it  so  at  least,  but  still  it  must  be  confessed  that- 
Dolly  was  the  chief  subject  of  their  conversation. 

"  You  are  very  fond  of  your  sister  ?  "  he  said  to  the 
child. 

Mollie  nodded. 


106  VAGABONDIA. 

"  Yes/'  she  said,  "  I  am  very  fond  of  her.  We  are 
all  very  fond  of  her.  Dolly  's  the  clever  one  of  the 
family,  next  to  Phil.  She  is  n't  afraid  of  anybody, 
and  things  don't  upset  her.  I  wish  I  was  like  her. 
irou  ought  to  see  her  talk  to  Lady  Augusta.  I 
believe  she  is  the  only  person  in  the  world  Lady 
Augusta  can't  patronize,  and  she  is  always  trying  to 
snub  her  just  because  she  is  so  cool.  But  it  never 
troubles  Dolly.  I  have  seen  her  sit  and  smile  and 
talk  in  her  quiet  way  until  Lady  Augusta  could  do 
nothing  but  sit  still  and  stare  at  her  as  if  she  was 
choked,  with  her  bonnet  strings  actually  trembling." 

Gowan  laughed.  He  could  imagine  the  effect  pro 
duced  so  well,  and  it  was  so  easy  to  picture  Dolly 
smiling  up  in  the  face  of  her  gaunt  patroness,  and  all 
the  time  favoring  her  with  a  shower  of  beautiful  little 
stabs,  rendered  pointed  by  the  very  essence  of  art 
fulness.  He  decided  that  upon  the  whole  Lady  Au 
gusta  was  somewhat  to  be  pitied. 

"  Dolly  says,"  proceeded  Mollie,  "  that  she  would 
like  to  be  a  beauty ;  but  if  I  was  like  her  I  should  n't 
care  about  being  a  beauty." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Gowan,  unable  to  resist  the  temptation 
to  try  with  a  fine  speech, — "ah !  it  is  all  very  well  for 
you  to  talk  about  not  caring  to  be  a  beauty." 

It  did  not  occur  to  him  for  an  instant  that  it  was 
indiscreet  to  say  such  a  thing  to  her.  He  only 
meant  it  for  a  jest,  and  nine  girls  out  of  ten  even  at 


VAGABONDIA.  107 

sixteen  would  have  understood  his  languid  air  of 
grandiloquence  in  an  instant.  But  Mollie  at  sixteen 
was  extremely  liberal-minded,  and  almost  Arcadian 
in  her  simplicity  of  thought  and  demeanor. 

Her  brown  eyes  flew  wide  open,  and  for  a  minute 
she  stared  at  him  with  mingled  amazement  and 
questioning. 

"  Me ! "  she  said,  ignoring  all  given  rules  of  pro 
priety  of  speech. 

"  Yes,  you,"  answered  Gowan,  smiling,  and  looking 
down  at  her  amusedly.  "  I  have  been  paying  you  a 
compliment,  Mollie." 

"  Oh ! "  said  Mollie,  bewilderment  settling  on  her 
face.  But  the  next  instant  the  blood  rushed  to  her 
cheeks,  and  her  eyes  fell,  and  she  moved  a  little 
farther  away  from  him. 

It  was  the  first  compliment  she  had  received  in  all 
her  \ife,  and  it  was  the  beginning  of  an  era. 


CHAPTER  V. 

IN  WHICH   THE   PHILISTINES   BE  UPON   US. 


are  »°*nS;"  saic*  Dolty  to  Ralph  Gowan,  "  to 
have  a  family  rejoicing,  and  we  should  like 
you  to  join  us.  We  are  going  to  celebrate  Mollie's 
birthday." 

"  Thanks,"  he  answered,  "  I  shall  be  delighted." 
He  had  heard  of  these  family  rejoicings  before, 
and  was  really  pleased  with  the  idea  of  attending  one 
of  them.  They  were  strictly  Vagabondian,  which 
was  one  recommendation,  and  they  were  entirely  free 
from  the  Bilberry  element,  which  was  another.  They 
were  not  grand  affairs,  it  is  true,  and  set  etiquette 
and  the  rules  of  society  at  open  defiance,  but  they 
were  cheerful,  at  least,  and  nobody  attended  them 
who  had  not  previously  resolved  upon  enjoying  him 
self  and  taking  kindly  to  even  the  most  unexpected 
state  of  affairs.  At  Bloomsbury  Place,  Lady  Au 
gusta's  "  coffee  and  conversation  "  became  "  conversa 
tion  and  coffee,"  and  the  conversation  came  as 
naturally  as  the  coffee.  People  who  had  jokes  to 
make  made  them,  and  people  who  had  not  were 
exhilarated  by  the  Ion-mots  of  the  rest. 


VAGABONDIA.  109 

"  Mollie  will  be  seventeen,"  said  Dolly,  "  and  it  i* 
rather  a  trial  to  me." 

Go  wan  laughed. 

"Why?"  he  asked. 

She  shook  her  head  gravely. 

"In  the  first  place,"  she  answered,  "it  makes  me  feel 
as  if  the  dust  of  ages  was  accumulating  in  my  path 
way,  and  in  the  second,  it  is  not  safe  for  her." 

"  "Why,  again  ? "  he  demanded. 

"  She  is  far  too  pretty,  and  her  knowledge  of  the 
world  is  far  too  limited.  She  secretly  believes  in 
Lord  Burleigh,  and  clings  to  the  poetic  memory  of 
King  Cophetua  and  the  Beggar-maid." 

"  And  you  do  not  ?  " 

She  held  up  her  small  forefinger  and  shook  it  at  him. 

"  If  ever  there  was  an  artful  little  minx,"  she  said, 
"  that  Beggar-maid  was  one.  I  never  believed  in  her. 
I  doubted  her  before  I  was  twelve.  With  her  eyes 
cast  down  and  her  sly  tricks  !  She  did  not  cast  them 
down  for  nothing.  She  did  it  because  she  had  long 
eyelashes,  and  it  was  becoming.  And  it  is  my  im 
pression  she  knew  more  about  the  king  than  she  pro 
fessed  to.  She  had  studied  his  character  and  found 
it  weak.  Beggar-maid  me  no  beggar-maids !  She 
was  as  deep  as  she  was  handsome." 

Of  course  he  laughed  again.  Her  air  of  severe 
worldly  experience  and  that  small  warning  forefinger 
were  irresistible. 


110  VAGABONDIA. 

"  But  Mollie,"  he  said,  «  with  all  her  belief  in  Co- 
phetua,  you  think  there  is  not  enough  of  the  beggar- 
maid  element  in  her  character  to  sustain  her  under 
like  circumstances  ? " 

"  If  she  met  a  Cophetua,"  she  answered,  "she  would 
open  her  great  eyes  at  his  royal  purple  in  positive 
delight,  and  if  he  caught  her  looking  at  him  she 
would  blush  furiously  and  pout  a  little,  and  be  so 
ashamed  of  her  weakness  that  she  would  be  ready  to 
run  away ;  but  if  he  was  artful  enough  to  manage  her 
aright,  she  would  believe  every  word  he  said,  and  ro 
mance  about  him  until  her  head  was  turned  upside 
down.  My  fear  is  that  some  false  Cophetua  will 
masquerade  for  her  benefit  some  day.  She  would 
never  doubt  his  veracity,  and  if  he  asked  her  to  run 
away  with  him  I  believe  she  would  enjoy  the  idea. 
We  shall  have  to  keep  sharp  watch  upon  her." 

"  You  never  were  so  troubled  about  Aime'e  ? " 
Gowan  suggested. 

"Aime'e  !"  she  exclaimed.  "  Aimee  has  kept  us  all 
in  order,  and  managed  our  affairs  for  us  ever  since  she 
wore  Berlin  wool  boots  and  a  coral  necklace.  She 
regulated  the  household  in  her  earliest  years,  and 
will  regulate  it  until  she  dies  or  somebody  marries 
her,  and  what  we  are  to  do  then  our  lares  and  penates 
only  know.  Aimee  !  Nobody  ever  had  any  trouble 
with  Aime'e,  and  nobody  ever  will.  Mollie  is  more 
like  me,  you  see,  —  shares  my  weaknesses  and  minor 


VAGABONDIA.  Ill 

sins,  and  always  sees  her  indiscretions  ten  minutes 
too  late  for  redemption.  And  then,  since  she  is  the 
youngest,  and  has  been  the  baby  so  long,  we  have 
not  been  in  the  habit  of  regarding  her  as  a  responsi 
ble  being  exactly.  It  has  struck  me  once  or  twice 
that  Bloomsbury  Place  hardly  afforded  wise  training 
to  Mollie.  Poor  little  soul ! "  And  a  faint  shadow 
fell  upon  her  face  and  rested  there  for  a  moment. 

But  it  faded  out  again  as  her  fits  of  gravity  usually 
did,  and  in  a  few  minutes  she  was  giving  him  such 
a  description  of  Lady  Augusta's  unexpected  appear 
ance  upon  a  like  occasion  in  time  past,  that  he 
laughed  until  the  room  echoed,  and  forgot  everything 
else  but  the  audacious  grotesqueness  of  her  mimicry. 

It  being  agreed  upon  that  Mollie's  birthday  was 
to  be  celebrated,  the  whole  household  was  plunged 
into  preparations  at  once,  though,  of  course,  they 
were  preparations  upon  a  small  scale  and  of  a  strictly 
private  and  domestic  nature.  Belinda,  being  promptly 
attacked  with  inflammation  of  the  throat,  which  was 
a  chronic  weakness  of  hers,  was  rather  inconveniently, 
but  not  at  all  to  the  surprise  of  her  employers,  inca 
pacitated  from  service,  and  accordingly  Dolly's  duties 
became  varied  and  multitudinous. 

Sudden  inflammation  on  the  part  of  Belinda  was 
so  unavoidable  a  consequence  of  any  approaching 
demand  upon  her  services  as  to  have  become  prover 
bial,  anJ  the  swelling  of  that  young  person's  "  torn- 


112  VAGABONDIA. 

suls,"  as  she  termed  them,  was  anticipated  as  might 
be  anticipated  the  rising  of  the  sun.  Not  that  it  was 
Belinda's  fault,  however ;  Belinda's  anxiety  to  be  use 
ful  amounted  at  all  times  to  something  very  nearly 
approaching  a  monomania ;  the  fact  simply  was,  that, 
her  ailment  being  chronic,  it  usually  evinced  itself  at 
inopportune  periods.  "  It 's  the  luck  of  the  family," 
said  Phil.  "We  never  loved  a  tree  or  flower,  etc." 

And  so  Belinda  was  accepted  as  an  unavoidable 
inconvenience,  and  was  borne  with  cheerfully,  accord 
ingly. 

It  was  not  expected  of  her  that  she  should  appear 
otherwise  on  the  eventful  day  than  with  the  regula 
tion  roll  of  flannel  about  her  neck.  Dolly  did  not 
expect  it  of  her  at  least,  so  she  was  not  surprised,  on 
entering  the  kitchen  in  the  morning,  to  be  accosted 
by  her  grimy  young  handmaiden  in  the  usual  form 
of  announcement :  — 

"  Which,  if  yer  please,  miss,  my  tornsuls  is  swole 
most  awful." 

"  Are  they  ? "  said  Dolly.  "  Well,  I  am  very  sorry, 
Belinda.  It  can't  be  helped,  though;  Mollie  will 
have  to  run  the  errands  and  answer  the  door-bell, 
and  you  must  stay  with  me  and  keep  out  of  the 
draught.  You  can  help  a  little,  I  dare  say,  if  you  are 
obliged  to  stay  in  the  kitchen." 

"  Yes,  'm,"  said  Belinda,  and  then  sidling  up  to  the 
dresser,  and  rubbing  her  nose  in  an  abasement  of 


VAGABONDIA.  113 

spirit,  which  resulted  in  divers  startling  adornments 
of  that  already  rather  highly  ornamented  feature. 
"  If  yer  please,  'in,"  she  said,  "  I  'm  very  sorry,  Miss 
Dolly.  Seems  like  I  ain't  never  o'  no  use  to  yer  ? " 

"  Yes,  you  are,"  said  Dolly,  cheerily,  "  and  you 
can't  help  the  sore  throat,  you  know.  You  are  a 
great  deal  of  use  to  me  sometimes.  See  how  you 
save  my  hands  from  being  spoiled  ;  they  would  n't 
be  as  white  as  they  are  if  I  had  to  polish  the  grates 
and  build  the  fires.  Never  mind,  you  will  be  better 
in  a  day  or  so.  Now  for  the  cookery-book." 

"  I  never  seen  no  one  like  her,"  muttered  the  de 
lighted  Sepoy,  returning  to  her  vigorous  cleaning  of 
kettles  and  pans.  "  I  never  seen  no  one  like  none 
on  'em,  they  're  that  there  good-natured  an'  easy  on 
folk." 

It  was  a  busy  day  for  Dolly,  as  well  as  for  the  rest 
of  them,  and  there  was  a  by  no  means  unpleasant 
excitement  in  the  atmosphere  of  business. .  The 
cookery,  too,  was  a  success,  the  game  pates  being  a 
triumph,  the  tarts  beautiful  to  behold,  and  the  rest 
of  the  culinary  experiments  so  marvellous,  that  Grif 
fith,  arriving  early  in  the  morning,  and  being  led 
down  into  the  pantry  to  look  at  them  as  a  prelimi 
nary  ceremony,  professed  to  be  struck  dumb  with 
admiration. 

"  There,"  said  Dolly,  backing  up  against  the  wall 
in  her  excitement,  and  thrusting  her  hands  very  far 

8 


114  VAGABONDIA. 

into  her  apron  pockets  indeed,  — "  there !  what  do 
you  think  of  that,  sir  ? "  And  she  stood  before  him 
in  a  perfect  glow  of  triumph,  her  cheeks  like  roses, 
her  sleeves  rolled  above  her  dimpled  elbows,  her  hair 
pushed  on  her  forehead,  and  her  general  appearance 
so  deliciously  business-like  and  agreeably  professional 
that  the  dusts  of  flour  that  were  so  prominent  a 
feature  in  her  costume  seemed  only  an  additional 
charm. 

"  Think  of  it  ? "  said  Griffith.  "  It  is  the  most  im 
posing  display  I  ever  saw  in  my  life.  The  tr-immings 
upon  those  tarts  are  positively  artistic.  You  don't 
mean  to  say  you  did  it  all  yourself  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  regarding  them  critically,  —  "  ev-er-y  bit," 
with  a  little  nod  for  every  syllable. 

"  Won-der-ful ! "  with  an  air  of  complimentary  in 
credulity.  "  May  I  ask  if  there  is  anything  you  can 
not  do  ? " 

"  There  is  absolutely  nothing,"  sententiously.  And 
then  somehow  or  other  they  were  standing  close 
together,  as  usual,  his  arm  around  her  waist,  her 
hands  clasped  upon  his  sleeve.  "When  we  get  the 
house  in  Putney,  or  Bayswater,  or  Peckham  Else,  or 
whatever  it  is  to  be,"  she  said,  laughing  in  her  most 
coaxing  way,  "  this  sort  of  thing  will  be  convenient. 
And  it  is  to  come,  you  know,  —  the  house,  I  mean." 

"  Yes,"  admitted  Griffith,  with  dubious  cheerful 
ness,  "  it  is  to  come,  —  some  time  or  other." 


VAGABONDIA.  115 

But  her  cheerfulness  was  not  of  a  dubious  kind  at 
all.  She  only  laughed  again,  and  patted  his  arm 
with  a  charming  air  of  proprietorship. 

"  I  have  got  something  else  to  show  you,"  she  said  ; 
"  something  up-stairs.  Can  you  guess  what  it  is  ? 
Something  for  Mollie,  —  something  she  wanted  which 
is  dreadfully  extravagant." 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  Griffith.  "  Not  the  maroon 
silk  affair  ! " 

"  Yes,"  her  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  her  course  ex 
pressing  itself  in  a  whimsical  little  grimace.  "  I  could 
n't  help  it.  It  will  make  her  so  happy ;  and  I  should 
so  have  liked  it  myself  if  I  had  been  in  her  place." 

She  had  been  going  to  lead  him  up-stairs  to  show 
it  to  him  as  it  lay  in  state,  locked  up  in  the  parlor, 
but  all  at  once  she  changed  her  mind. 

"  No,"  she  said ;  "  I  think  you  had  better  not  see 
it  until  Mollie  comes  down  in  state.  It  will  look 
best  then ;  so  I  won't  spoil  the  effect  by  letting  you 
see  it  now." 

Griffith  had  brought  his  offering,  too,  —  not  much 
of  an  offering,  perhaps,  but  worth  a  good  deal  when 
valued  according  to  the  affectionate  good- will  it  repre 
sented.  "  The  girls  "  had  a  very  warm  corner  in  the 
young  man's  tender  heart,  and  the  half-dozen  pairs  of 
gloves  he  produced  from  the  shades  of  an  inconven 
ient  pocket  of  his  great-coat,  held  their  own  modest 
significance. 


116  VAGABONDIA. 

"  Gloves/'  lie  said,  half  apologetically, "  always  come 
in ;  and  I  believe  I  heard  Mollie  complaining  of  hers 
the  other  day." 

Certainly  they  were  appreciated  by  the  young  lady 
in  question,  their  timely  appearance  disposing  of  a 
slight  difficulty  of  addition  to  her  toilet. 

The  maroon  silk  was  to  be  a  surprise  ;  and  surely, 
if  ever  surprise  was  a  success,  this  was.  Taking  into 
consideration  the  fact  that  she  had  spent  the  earlier 
part  of  the  day  in  plaintive  efforts  to  remodel  a  dubi 
ous  garment  into  a  form  fitting  to  grace  the  occasion, 
it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  sudden  reali 
zation  of  one  of  her  most  hopelessly  vivid  imagin 
ings  rather  destroyed  the  perfect  balance  of  her 
equilibrium. 

She  had  almost  completed  her  toilet  when  Dolly 
produced  her  treasure ;  nothing,  in  fact,  remained  to 
be  done  but  to  don  the  dubious  garment,  when  Dolly, 
slipping  out  of  the  room,  returned  almost  immediately 
with  something  on  her  arm. 

"  Never  mind  your  old  alpaca,  Mollie,"  she  said. 
tf  I  have  something  better  for  you  here." 

Mollie  turned  round  in  some  wonder  to  see  what 
she  meant,  and  the  next  minute  she  turned  red  and 
pale  with  admiring  amazement. 

"  Dolly,"  she  said,  rather  unnecessarily,  "  it 's  a  ma 
roon  silk."  And  she  sat  down  with  her  hands  clasped, 
and  stared  at  it  in  the  intensity  of  her  wonder. 


VAGABOND1A.  117 

"  Yes,"  said  Dolly,  "  it  is  a  maroon  silk,  and  you 
are  to  wear  it  to-night.  It  is  Phil's  birthday  present 
to  you,  —  and  mine." 

The  spell  was  broken  at  once.  The  girl  got  up 
and  made  an  impulsive  rush  at  her,  and,  flinging  her 
bare  white  arms  out,  caught  her  in  a  tempestuous 
embrace,  maroon  silk  and  all,  laughing  and  crying 
both  together. 

"  Dolly,"  she  said,  —  "  Dolly,  it  is  the  grandest 
thing  I  ever  had  in  my  life,  and  you  are  the  best  two 
• —  you  and  Phil  —  that  ever  lived  ! "  And  not  being 
as  eloquent  by  nature  as  she  was  grateful  and  affec 
tionate,  she  poured  out  the  rest  of  her  thanks  in  kisses 
and  interjections. 

Then  Dolly,  extricating  herself,  proceeded  to  add 
the  final  touches  to  the  unfinished  toilet,  and  in  a 
very  few  minutes  Miss  Mollie  stood  before  the  glass 
regarding  herself  in  such  ecstatic  content  as  she  had 
perhaps  never  before  experienced. 

"  Who  is  going  to  be  here,  Dolly  ?  "  she  asked,  after 
taking  her  first  survey. 

"Who?"  said  Dolly.  "Well,  I  scarcely  know. 
Only  one  or  two  of  Phil's  friends  and  Ealph  Gowaii." 

Mollie  gave  a  little  start,  and  then  blushed  in  the 
most  pathetically  helpless  way. 

"  Ah  !  "  she  said,  and  looked  at  her  reflection  in  the 
glass  again,  as  if  she  did  not  exactly  know  what  else 
to  do.  / 


118  VAGABONDIA. 

A  swift  shadow  of  surprise  showed  itself  in  Dolly's 
eyes,  and  died  out  almost  at  the  same  moment. 

"Are  you  ready  ?"  she  said,  briefly.  "If  you  are, 
we  will  go  down-stairs." 

There  was  a  simultaneous  cry  of  admiration  from 
them  all  when  the  two  entered  the  parlor  below,  and 
Miss  Mollie  appeared  attired  in  all  her  glory. 

"Here  she  is!"  exclaimed  'Toinette  and  Aimee, 
together. 

"  Just  the  right  shade,"  was  Phil's  immediate  com 
ment.  "  Catches  the  lights  and  throws  out  her  color 
ing  so  finely.  Turn  round,  Mollie." 

And  Mollie  turned  round  obediently,  a  trifle  abashed 
by  her  own  gorgeousness,  and  looking  all  the  lovelier 
for  her  momentary  abasement. 

Griffith  was  delighted.  He  went  to  her  and  kissed 
her,  and  praised  her  with  the  enthusiastic  frankness 
which  characterized  all  his  proceedings  with  regard 
to  the  different  members  of  the  family  of  his  be 
trothed.  He  was  as  proud  of  the  girl's  beauty  as  if 
she  were  a  sister  of  his  own. 

Then  the  object  of  their  mutual  admiration  knelt 
down  upon  the  hearth-rug,  before  Tod,  who,  attired 
in  ephemeral  splendor,  had  stopped  in  his  tour  across 
the  room  to  stare  up  with  bright  baby  wonder  at  the 
novelty  of  warm,  rich  color  which  had  caught  his 
fancy. 

"I  must  kiss  Tod,"  she   said;  no   ceremony   was 


VAGABONDIA.  119 

ever  considered  complete,  and  no  occasion  perfect, 
unless  Tod  had  been  kissed,  and  so  taken  into  the 
general  confidence.  "  Tod,  come  and  be  kissed." 

But,  being  a  young  gentleman  of  by  no  means 
effusive  nature,  Tod  preferred  to  remain  stationary, 
holding  to  the  toe  of  his  red  shoe  and  gazing  upward 
with  an  expression  of  approbation  and  indifference 
commingled,  which  delighted  his  feminine  admirers 
beyond  expression. 

"  He  knows  it  is  something  new,"  said  'Toinette. 
"  See  how  he  looks  at  it."  Whereupon,  of  course, 
there  was  a  chorus  of  delighted  acquiescence,  and 
Aunt  Dolly  must  needs  go  down  upon  the  hearth 
rug,  too. 

"Has  Aunt  Mollie  got  a  grand  new  dress  on, 
Beauty  ? "  she  said,  glowing  with  such  pretty, 
womanly  adoration  of  this  atom  of  all-ruling  baby- 
dom,  as  made  her  seem  the  very  cream  and  essence 
of  lovableness  and  sweet  nonsense.  And  then,  Mas 
ter  Tod,  still  remaining  unmoved  by  adulation,  and 
still  regarding  his  small  circle  of  tender  sycophants 
with  round,  liquid,  baby  eyes  serene,  and  dewy  red 
lips  apart,  was  so  effective  in  this  one  of  his  many 
entrancing  moods,  that  he  was  no  longer  to  be  resisted, 
and  so  was  caught  up  and  embraced  with  ecstasy. 

"  He  notices  everything,"  cries  Aunt  Dolly  ;  "  and 
I  'm  sure  he  understands  every  word  he  hears.  He 
is  so  different  from  other  babies." 


120  VAGABONDIA. 

Different !  Of  course  he  was  different.  There  was 
not  one  of  them  but  indignantly  scouted  at  the  idea 
of  there  ever  having  before  existed  such  a  combination 
of  infantile  gifts  and  graces.  The  most  obtuse  of 
people  could  not  fail  to  acknowledge  his  vast  superi 
ority,  in  spite  of  their  obtuseness. 

"  But,"  remarked  Aimee,  with  discretion,  "  you  had 
better  stand  up,  Mollie,  or  you  will  crush  your  front 
breadths." 

Mollie,  with  a  saving  recollection  of  front  breadths, 
arose,  and  as  it  chanced  just  in  time  to  turn  toward 
the  door  as  Ealph  Gowan  came  in. 

He  was  looking  his  best  to-night,  —  that  enviable, 
thorough-bred  best,  which  was  the  natural  result  of 
culture,  money,  and  ease ;  and  Dolly,  catching  sight 
of  Mollie's  guileless  blushes,  deplored,  while  she  did 
not  wonder  at  them,  understanding  her  as  she  did. 
It  was  just  like  the  child  to  blush,  feeling  herself 
the  centre  of  observation,  but  she  could  not  help 
wishing  that  her  blush  had  not  been  quite  so  quick 
and  sensitive. 

But  if  she  had  flushed  when  he  entered,  she 
flushed  far  more  when  he  came  to  speak  to  her.  He 
held  in  his  hand  a  bouquet  of  flowers,  —  white  camel 
lia  buds  and  bloom,  and  dark,  shadowy  green  ;  a  whim 
of  his  own,  he  said. 

"  I  heard  about  the  maroon  dress,"  he  added,  when 
he  had  given  it  to  her,  "and  my  choice  of  your 


VAGABONDIA.  121 

flowers  was  guided  accordingly.  White  camellias, 
worn  with  maroon  sik,  are  artistic,  Mollie,  your 
brother  will  tell  you." 

"  They  are  very  pretty,"  said  Mollie,  looking  down 
at  them  in  grateful  confusion;  "and  I  am  much 
obliged.  Thank  you,  Mr.  Gowan." 

"  A  great  many  good  wishes  go  with  them,"  he  said, 
good-naturedly.  "  If  I  were  an  enchanter,  you  should 
never  grow  any  older  from  this  day  forward."  And 
his  speech  was  something  more  than  an  idle  compli 
ment.  There  was  something  touching  to  him,  too,  in 
the  fact  of  the  child's  leaving  her  childhood  behind 
her,  and  confronting  so  ignorantly  the  unconscious 
dawn  of  a  womanhood  which  might  hold  so  much  of 
the  bitterness  of  knowledge. 

But,  of  course,  Mollie  did  not  understand  this. 

"  Why  ? "  she  asked  him,  forgetting  her  camellias, 
in  her  wonder  at  his  fancy. 

"  Why  ? "  said  he.  "  Because  seventeen  is  such  a 
charming  age,  Mollie ;  and  it  would  be  well  for  so 
many  of  us  if  we  did  not  outlive  its  faith  and 
freshness." 

He  crossed  over  to  Dolly  then,  and  made  his  well- 
turned  speech  of  friendly  greeting  to  her  also,  but 
his  most  ordinary  speech  to  her  had  its  own  subtle 
warmth.  He  was  growing  very  fond  of  Dolly  Ore  we. 
But  Dolly  was  a  trifle  preoccupied ;  she  was  look 
ing  almost  anxiously  at  Mollie  and  the  camellias. 


122  VAGABONDIA. 

"He  has  been  paying  her  a  compliment  or  she 
would  not  look  so  fluttered  and  happy/'  she  was 
saying  to  herself.  "I  wish  he  wouldn't.  It  may 
please  him,  but  it  is  dangerous  work  for  Mollie." 

And  when  she  raised  her  eyes  to  meet  Ralph 
Gowan's,  he  saw  that  there  was  the  ghost  of  a  regret 
ful  shadow  in  them. 

She  had  too  much  to  do,  however,  to  be  troubled 
long.  Phil's  friends  began  to  drop  in,  one  by  one, 
and  the  business  of  the  evening  occupied  her  atten 
tion.  There  was  coffee  to  be  handed  round,  and  she 
stood  at  a  side-table  and  poured  it  out  herself  into 
quaint  cups  of  old  china,  which  were  a  relic  of  former 
grandeur ;  and  as  she  moved  to  and  fro,  bringing  one 
of  these  cups  to  one,  or  a  plate  of  fantastic  little 
cakes  to  another,  and  flavoring  the  whole  repast  with 
her  running  fire  of  spicy  speeches,  Gowan  found  him 
self  following  her  with  his  eyes  and  rather  extrava 
gantly  comparing  her  to  ambrosia-bearing  Hebe,  at 
the  same  time  thinking  that  in  Yagabondia  these 
things  were  better  done  than  elsewhere. 

The  most  outr£  of  Phil's  hirsute  and  carelessly 
garbed  fellow-Bohemians  somehow  or  other  seemed 
neither  vulgar  nor  ill  at  ease.  They  evidently  felt  at 
home,  and  admired  faithfully  and  with  complete  uni 
son  the  feminine  members  of  their  friend's  family;  and 
their  readiness  to  catch  at  the  bright  or  grotesque  side 
of  any  situation  evinced  itself  in  a  manner  worthy  of 


VAGABONDIA:  123 

imitation.  Then,  too,  there  was  Tod,  taking  excur- 
sionary  rambles  about  the  carpet,  and,  far  from  being 
in  the  way,  rendering  himself  an  innocent  centre  of 
attraction.  Brown  cracked  jokes  with  him,  Jones 
bribed  him  with  cake  to  the  performance  of  before- 
unheard-of  feats,  and  one  muscular,  fiercely  mus- 
tached  and  bearded  young  man,  whose  artistic  forte 
was  battle-pieces  of  the  most  sanguinary  description, 
appropriated  him  bodily  and  set  him  on  his  shoulder, 
greatly  to  the  detriment  of  his  paper  collar. 

"  The  spirit  of  Vagabondia  is  strong  in  Tod,"  said 
Dolly,  who  at  the  time  was  standing  near  Gowan 
upon  the  hearth-rug,  with  her  own  coffee-cup  in 
hand ;  "  its  manifestation  being  his  readiness  to  ac 
commodate  himself  to  circumstances." 

Through  the  whole  of  the  evening  Mollie  and  the 
camellias  shone  forth  with  resplendence.  Those  of 
Phil's  masculine  friends  who  had  known  her  since 
her  babyhood  felt  instinctively  that  to-night  the 
Eubicon  had  been  passed.  Unconscious  as  she  was 
of  herself,  she  was  imposing  in  the  maroon  silk,  and 
these  free-and-easy,  good-natured  fellows  were  the 
very  men  to  be  keenly  alive  to  any  subtle  power  of 
womanhood.  So  when  they  addressed  her  their 
manner  was  a  trifle  subdued,  and  their  deportment 
toward  her  had  a  faint  savor  of  delicate  reverence. 

Dolly  was  in  her  element.  Her  songs,  her  little 
supper,  and  her  plans  of  entertainment  were  a  perfect 


124  VAGABONDIA 

success.  Such  jokes  as  she  made  and  such  lauglitei 
as  she  managed  to  elicit  through  the  medium  of  the 
smallest  of  them,  and  such  aptness  and  tact  as  she 
displayed  in  keeping  up  the  general  fusillade  of  bon- 
mots  and  repartee.  It  would  have  been  impossible 
for  a  witticism  to  fall  short  of  its  mark  under  her 
active  superintendence,  even  if  witticisms  had  been 
prone  to  fall  short  in  Vagabondia,  which  they  decid 
edly  were  not.  She  kept  Griffith  busy,  too,  from  first 
to  last,  perhaps  because  she  felt  it  to  be  the  safest 
plan  ;  at  any  rate,  she  held  him  near  her,  and  managed 
to  keep  him  in  the  best  of  spirits  all  the  evening,  and 
more  than  once  Gowan,  catching  a  glimpse  of  her  as 
she  addressed  some  simple  remark  to  the  favored  one, 
recognized  a  certain  bright  softness  in  her  face  which 
told  its  own  story.  But  there  would  have  been  little 
use  in  openly  displaying  his  discomfiture  ;  so,  after 
feeling  irritated  for  a  moment  or  so,  Ealph  Gowan 
allowed  himself  to  drift  into  attendance  on  Mollie, 
and,  being  almost  gratefully  received  by  that  young 
lady,  he  did  not  find  that  the  time  passed  slowly. 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  came  here,"  she  said  to  him, 
plaintively,  when  he  first  crossed  the  room  to  her 
side.  "I  do  so  hate  Brown." 

"  Brown  ! "  he  echoed.  "  Who  is  Brown,  Mollie  ? 
and  what  lias  Brown  been  doing  to  incur  youi 
resentment  ?  " 

Mollie  gave  her  shoulders  a  petulant  shrug. 


VAGABONDIA.  125 

"Brown  is  that  little  man  in  the  big  coat,"  she 
said,  "  the  one  who  went  away  when  you  came.  I 
wish  he  would  stay  away.  I  can't  bear  him,"  with 
delightful  candor. 

"  But  why  ? "  persisted  Gowan,  casting  a  glance  at 
the  side  of  the  room  where  Dolly  stood  talking  to  her 
lover.  "  Is  it  because  his  coat  is  so  big,  or  because 
he  is  so  .tittle,  that  he  is  so  objectionable  ?  To  be  at 
once  moral  and  instructive,  Mollie,  a  man  is  not  to  be 
judged  by  his  coat." 

"  I  know  that,"  returned  Mollie,  her  unconscious 
innocence  asserting  itself ;  "  it  is  n't  that.  You 
couldn't  be  as  disagreeable  as  he  is  if  you  were 
dressed  in  rags." 

Gowan  turned  quickly  to  look  at  her,  forgetting 
even  Dolly  for  the  instant,  —  but  she  was  quite  in 
earnest,  and  met  his  questioning  eyes  with  the  most 
pathetic  ignorance  of  having  said  anything  extraordi 
nary.  Indeed,  her  faith  in  what  she  had  said  was  so 
patent  that  he  found  it  impossible  to  answer  her  with 
a  light  or  jesting  speech. 

"  It  is  n't  that,"  she  went  on,  pulling  at  a  glossy 
green  leaf  on  her  bouquet.  "  If  he  did  n't  —  if  he 
would  n't  —  if  he  did  n't  keep  saying  things  —  " 

"  What  sort  of  things  ?  "  asked  Gowan,  to  help  her 
out  of  her  dilemma. 

"I  —  don't  know,"  was  the  shy  reply.  " Stupid 
things." 


126  VAGABONDIA. 

"  Stupid  things  !  "  he  repeated.  "  Poor  Brown  ! " 
and  his  eyes  wandered  to  Dolly  again. 

But  it  would  not  have  been  natural  if  he  had  not 
been  attracted  by  Mollie,  after  all,  and  in  the  course 
of  time  in  a  measure  consoled  by  her.  She  was  so 
glad  to  be  protected  from  the  advances  of  the  much 
despised  Brown,  that  he  found  it  rather  pleasant  than 
otherwise  to  constitute  himself  her  body -guard,  —  to 
talk  to  her  as  they  sat,  and  to  be  her  partner  in  the 
stray  dances  which  accidentally  enlivened  the  even 
ing's  entertainment.  She  danced  well,  too,  he  dis 
covered,  and  with  such  evident  enjoyment  of  her  own 
smooth,  swaying  movements  as  was  quite  magnetic, 
and  made  him  half  reluctant  to  release  her  when 
their  first  waltz  was  ended,  and  she  stopped  all  aflush 
with  new  bloom. 

"lam  so  fond  of  dancing,"  she  said,  catching  her 
breath  in  a  little  sigh  of  ecstasy.  "  We  all  are.  It 
is  one  of  the  things  we  can  do  without  spending  any 
money,  you  know." 

It  was  shortly  after  this,  just  as  they  were  stand 
ing  in  twos  and  threes,  chatting  and  refreshing  them 
selves  with  Dolly's  confections  and  iced  lemonade, 
that  an  entirely  unexpected  advent  occurred.  There 
suddenly  fell  upon  the  general  ear  a  sound  as  of  roll 
ing  wheels,  and  a  carriage  stopped  before  the  door. 

Dolly,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  small  circle  of 
her  own,  paused  in  her  remarks  to  listen. 


VA  GABONDIA.  127 

"  It  is  a  carriage,  that  is  certain,"  she  said.  —  "  and 
somebody  is  getting  out.  I  don't  know  "  —  and  then 
a  light  breaking  over  her  face  in  a  flash  of  horror  and 
delight  in  the  situation  commingled.  "  Phil/'  she 
exclaimed,  "  the  Philistines  be  upon  us,  —  it  is  Lady 
Augusta ! " 

And  it  was.  In  two  minutes  that  majestic  lady 
was  ushered  in  by  the  excited  Belinda,  and  announced 
in  the  following  rather  remarkable  manner,  — 

"  If  yer  please,  Miss  Dolly,  here 's  your  aunt,  Mr. 
Phil." 

For  a  second  her  ladyship  was  speechless,  even 
though  Dolly  advanced  to  meet  her  at  once.  The 
festive  gathering  was  too  much  for  her,  and  the  sight 
of  Ralph  Gowan  leaning  over  Mollie  in  all  her 
bravery,  holding  her  flowers  for  her,  and  appearing  so 
evidently  at  home,  overpowered  her  completely.  But 
she  recovered  herself  at  length. 

"  I  was  not  aware,"  she  said  to  Dolly,  "  that  you 
were  having  a  "  —  pause  for  a  word  sufficiently  signifi 
cant  —  "  that  you  were  holding  a  reception,"  —  a 
scathing  glance  at  the  pensive  Brown,  who  was  at  once 
annihilated.  "  You  will  possibly  excuse  my  involun 
tary  intrusion.  I  thought,  of  course  "  (emphasis),  "  that 
I  should  find  you  alone,  and  as  I  had  something  to 
say  to  you  concerning  Euphemia,  I  decided  to  call  to 
night  on  my  way  from  the  conversazione  at  Dr.  Bug- 
by's,  —  perhaps,  Dorothea,  your  friends"  (emphasis 


.128  VAGABOND1A 

again)  "  will  excuse  you  for  a  moment,  and  you  will 
take  me  into  another  room,"  —  this  last  as  if  she  had 
suddenly  found  herself  in  a  fever  hospital  and  was 
rather  afraid  of  contagion. 

But  apart  from  Mollie,  who  pouted  and  flushed, 
and  was  extremely  uncomfortable,  nobody  seemed  to 
be  either  chilled  or  overwhelmed.  Phil's  greeting 
was  so  cordial  and  unmoved  that  her  ladyship  could 
only  proffer  him  the  tips  of  her  fingers  in  imposing 
silence,  and  Dolly's  air  of  placid  good-humor  was  so 
perfect  that  it  was  as  good  as  a  modest  theatrical 
entertainment. 

She  led  her  visitor  out  of  the  room  with  a  most 
untroubled  countenance,  after  her  ladyship  had  hon 
ored  Gowan  with  a  word  or  so,  kindly  signifying  her 
intense  surprise  at  meeting  him  in  the  house,  and 
rather  intimating,  delicately,  that  she  could  not  com 
prehend  his  extraordinary  conduct,  and  hoped  he 
would  not  live  to  regret  it. 

The  interview  was  not  a  long  one,  however.  In 
about  ten  minutes  the  carriage  rolled  away,  and  Dolly 
came  back  to  the  parlor  with  a  touch  of  new  color  on 
her  cheek,  and  a  dying-out  spark  of  fire  in  her  eye ; 
and  though  her  spirits  did  not  seem  to  have  failed 
her,  she  was  certainly  a  trifle  moved  by  something. 

"  Let  us  have  another  waltz,"  she  said,  rather  as  if 
she  wished  to  dismiss  Lady  Augusta  from  the  carpet 
"  I  will  play  this  time.  Phil,  find  a  partner." 


VAGABOND! A.  129 

She  sat  down  to  the  piano  at  once,  and  swept  off 
into  one  of  Phil's  own  compositions,  and  from  that 
time  till  the  end  of  the  evening  she  scarcely  gave 
them  a  moment's  pause,  and  was  herself  so  full  of 
sparkle  and  resources  that  she  quite  enraptured 
Go  wan,  and  made  the  shabby  room  and  the  queer 
life  seem  more  novel  and  entrancing  than  ever. 

But  when  the  guests  were  gone,  and  only  Griffith, 
who  was  always  last,  remained  with  Phil  and  the 
girls,  grouped  about  the  fire,  the  light  died  out  of  her 
mood,  and  she  looked  just  a  trifle  anxious  and  tired. 

"  Girls,"  she  said,  "  I  have  some  bad  news  to  tell 
you,  —  at  least  some  news  that  isn't  exactly  good. 
Lady  Augusta  has  given  me  what  Belinda  would  call 
'  a  warning.'  I  visit  the  select  precincts  of  Bilberry 
House  as  governess  no  more." 

There  is  no  denying  it  was  a  blow  to  them  all. 
Her  salary  had  been  a  very  necessary  part  of  the 
family  income,  and  if  they  had  been  straitened  with 
it,  certainly  there  would  be  a  struggle  without  it. 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Mollie,  remorsefully.  "  And  you  have 
just  spent  nearly  all  you  had  on  my  dress.  And  you 
do  so  want  things  yourself,  Dolly.  What  shall  you 
do?" 

"  Begin  to  take  in  the  daily  papers  and  peruse  the 
advertising  column,"  she  answered,  courageously. 
"  Never  mind,  it  will  all  come  right  before  long,  and 
we  can  keep  up  our  spirits  until  then." 

9 


130  VAGAEONDIA. 

But,  despite  her  assumed  good  spirits,  when  she 
went  to  see  Griffith  out  of  the  front  door,  she  held  to 
his  arm  with  a  significantly  clinging  touch,  and  was 
so  silent  for  a  moment  that  he  stooped  in  the  dark  to 
kiss  her,  and  found  her  cheek  wet  with  tears. 

It  quite  upset  him,  too,  poor  fellow  !  Dolly  crying 
and  daunted  was  a  state  of  affairs  fraught  with  an 
guish  to  him. 

"Why,  Dolly ! "  he  exclaimed,  tremulously.  "  Dolly, 
you  are  crying  ! " 

And  then  she  did  give  way,  and  for  a  minute  or  so 
quite  needed  the  shelter  and  rest  of  his  arms.  She 
cared  for  no  other  shelter  or  rest ;  he  was  quite 
enough  for  her  in  her  brightest  or  darkest  day,  — just 
this  impecunious  young  man,  whose  prospects  were 
so  limited,  but  whose  affection  for  her  was  so  wholly 
without  limit.  She  might  be  daunted,  but  she  could 
not  remain  long  uncomforted  while  her  love  and 
trust  were  still  unchanged.  Ah !  there  was  a  vast 
amount  of  magic  in  the  simple,  silent  pressure  of  the 
arm  within  that  shabby  coat-sleeve. 

So,  as  might  be  expected,  she  managed  to  recover 
herself  before  many  minutes,  and  receive  his  tender 
condolences  with  renewed  spirit;  and  when  she 
bade  him  good-night  she  was  almost  herself  again, 
and  was  laughing,  even  though  her  eyelashes  were 
wet. 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  we  are  not  going  to  destruction, 


VAGABONDIA.  131 

Lady  Augusta  to  the  contrary,  and  the  family  luck 
must  assert  itself  some  time,  since  it  has  kept  itself 
so  long  in  the  background.  And  in  the  mean  time 
—  well,"  with  a  little  parting  wave  of  her  hand, 
"Vagabondia  to  the  rescue  1" 


CHAPTEE  VI 

"  WANTED,  A  YOUNG  PERSON." 

THEEE  was  much  diligent  searching  of  the  adver 
tising  columns  of  the  daily  papers  for  several 
weeks  after  this.  Advertisements,  in  fact,  became 
the  staple  literature,  and  Dolly's  zeal  in  the  perusal 
of  them  was  only  to  be  equalled  by  her  readiness  to 
snatch  at  the  opportunities  they  presented.  No 
weather  was  too  grewsome  for  her  to  confront,  and 
no  representation  too  unpromising  for  her  to  be  al 
lured  by.  In  the  morning  she  was  at  Bayswater 
calling  upon  the  chilling  mother  of  six  (four  of  them 
boys)  whose  moral  nature  needed  judicious  attention, 
and  who  required  to  be  taught  the  rudiments  of  French, 
German,  and  Latin ;  in  the  afternoon  she  was  at  the 
general  post-office  applying  to  Q.  Y.  Z.,  who  had  the 
education  of  two  interesting  orphans  to  negotiate  for, 
and  who  was  naturally  desirous  of  doing  it  as  eco 
nomically  as  possible ;  and  at  night  she  was  at  home, 
writing  modest,  business-like  epistles  to  every  letter 
in  the  alphabet  in  every  conceivable  or  inconceivable 
part  of  the  country. 


VAGABONDIA.  133 

"  If  I  had  only  been  born  '  a  stout  youth/  or  { a 
likely  young  man/  or '  a  respectable  middle-aged  per 
son/  I  should  have  been  '  wanted '  a  dozen  times  a 
day/'  she  would  remark ;  "  but  as  it  is,  I  suppose  I 
must  wait  until  something  '  presents  itself/  as  the 
Rev.  Marmaduke  puts  it." 

And  in  defiance  of  various  discouraging  and  dispir 
iting  influences,  she  waited  with  a  tolerable  degree  of 
tranquillity  until,  in  the  course  of  time,  her  patience 
was  rewarded.  Sitting  by  the  fire  one  morning  with 
Tod  and  a  newspaper,  her  eye  was  caught  by  an  ad 
vertisement  which,  though  it  did  not  hold  out  any 
extra  inducements,  still  attracted  her  attention,  so  she 
read  it  aloud  to  Aimee  and  'Toinette. 

"  Wanted,  a  young  person  to  act  as  companion  to 
an  elderly  lady.  Apply  at  the  printer's." 

"  There,  Aimee,"  she  commented,  "  there  is  another. 
I  suppose  I  might  call  myself  '  a  young  person.'  Don't 
you  think  I  had  better  '  apply  at  the  printer's '  ?  " 

"  They  don't  mention  terms,"  said  Aime'e. 

"  You  would  have  to  leave  home,"  said  'Toinette. 

Dolly  folded  up  the  paper  and  tossed  it  on  to  the 
table  with  a  half  sigh.  She  had  thought  of  that  the 
moment  she  read  the  paragraph,  and  then,  very  nat 
urally,  she  had  thought  of  Griffith.  It  would  not  be 
feasible  to  include  him  in  her  arrangements,  even  if 
she  made  any.  Elderly  ladies  who  engage  "  young 
persons  "  as  companions  were  not  in  the  habit  of  tak' 


134  VAGABONDIA. 

ing  kindly  to  miscellaneous  young  men,  consequently 
the  prospect  was  not  a  very  bright  one. 

There  would  only  be  letter-writing  left  to  them, 
and  letters  seemed  such  cold  comfort  contrasted  with 
every-day  meetings.  She  remembered,  too,  a  certain 
six  months  she  had  spent  with  her  Bilberry  charges 
in  Switzerland,  when  Griffith  had  nearly  been  driven 
frantic  by  her  absence  and  his  restless  dissatisfaction, 
and  when  their  letters  had  only  seemed  new  aids 
to  troublous  though  unintentional  games  at  cross- 
purposes.  There  might  be  just  the  same  thing  to 
undergo  again,  but,  then,  how  was  it  to  be  avoided  ? 
It  was  impossible  to  remain  idle  just  at  this  juncture. 

"  So  it  cannot  be  helped,"  she  said,  aloud.  "  I 
must  take  it  if  I  can  get  it,  and  I  must  stay  in  it 
until  I  can  find  something  more  pleasant,  though  I 
cannot  help  wishing  that  matters  did  not  look  so 
unpromising.  Tod,  you  will  have  to  go  down,  Aunt 
Dolly  is  going  to  put  on  her  hat  and  present  herself 
at  the  printer's  in  the  character  of  a  young  person  in 
search  of  an  elderly  lady." 

Delays  were  dangerous,  she  had  been  taught  by  ex 
perience,  so  she  ran  up-stairs  at  once  for  her  out-door 
attire,  and  came  down  in  a  few  minutes,  drawing  on 
her  gloves  and  looking  a  trifle  ruefully  at  them. 

"  They  are  getting  discouragingly  white  at  the 
seams,"  she  said,  "  and  it  seems  almost  impossible  to 
keep  them  sewed  up.  I  shall  have  to  borrow  Aimee's 


VAGABONDIA.  135 

muff.  What  a  blessing  it  is  that  the  weather  is  so 
cold  ! " 

At  the  bottom  of  the  staircase  she  met  Mollie. 

"  Phemie  is  in  the  parlor,  Dolly,"  she  announced, 
"  and  she  wants  to  see  you.  I  don't  believe  Lady 
Augusta  knows  she  is  here,  either,  she  looks  so  dread 
fully  fluttered." 

And  when  she  entered  the  room,  surely  enough 
Phemie  jumped  up  with  a  nervous  bound  from  a 
chair  immediately  behind  the  door,  and,  dropping  her 
muff  and  umbrella  and  two  or  three  other  small  arti 
cles,  caught  her  in  a  tremulous  embrace,  and  at  once 
proceeded  to  bedew  her  with  tears. 

"  Oh,  Dolly  !  "  she  lamented,  pathetically ;  "  I  have 
come  to  say  good-by ;  and,  oh  !  what  shall  I  do  with 
out  you  ? " 

"  Good-by  !  "  said  Dolly.     "  Why,  Phemie  ?  " 

"  Switzerland  ! "  sobbed  Phemie.  "  The  —  the  se 
lect  seminary  at  Geneva,  Dolly,  where  th-that  pro 
fessor  of  m-music  with  the  lumpy  face  was." 

"  Dear  me  !  "  Dolly  ejaculated.  "  You  don't  mean 
to  say  you  are  going  there,  Phemie  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  answered  Euphemia.  "  Next  week, 
too.  And,  oh  dear,  Dolly ! "  trying  to  recover  her 
handkerchief,  "  if  it  had  been  anywhere  else  I  could 
have  borne  it,  but  that,"  resignedly,  "  was  the  rea 
son  mamma  settled  on  it.  She  found  out  how  I 
loathed  the  very  thought  of  it,  and  then  she  decided 


136  VAGABONDIA. 

immediately.  And  don't  you  remember  those  mourn 
ful  girls,  Dolly,  who  used  to  walk  out  like  a  funeral 
procession,  and  how  we  used  to  make  fun  —  at  least, 
how  you  used  to  make  fun  of  the  lady  principal's  best 
bonnet  ? " 

It  will  be  observed  by  this  tha,t  Miss  Dorothea 
Crewe's  intercourse  with  her  pupils  had  not  been  as 
strictly  in  accordance  with  her  position  as  instructress 
as  it  had  been  friendly.  She  had  even  gone  so  far  as 
to  set  decorum  at  defiance,  by  being  at  once  enter 
taining  and  jocular,  though  to  her  credit  it  must  be 
said  that  she  had  worked  hard  enough  for  her  modest 
salary,  and  had  not  neglected  even  the  most  trivial  of 
her  numerous  duties. 

She  began  to  console  poor  Euphemia  to  the  best  of 
her  ability,  but  Euphemia  refused  to  be  comforted. 

"  I  shall  have  to  take  lessons  from  that  lumpy  pro 
fessor,  Dolly,"  she  said.  "And  you  know  how  I  used 
to  hate  him  when  he  would  make  love  to  you.  And 
that  was  mamma's  fault,  too,  because  she  would  pat 
ronize  him  and  call  him  '  a  worthy  person.'  He  was 
the  only  man  who  admired  you  I  ever  knew  her  to 
encourage,  and  she  would  n't  have  encouraged  him  if 
he  had  n't  been  so  detestable." 

It  was  very  evident  that  the  eldest  Miss  Bilberry 
was  in  a  highly  rebellious  and  desperate  state  of 
mind.  Dolly's  daily  visits,  educational  though  they 
were,  had  been  the  brightest  gleams  of  sunlight  in  her 


VAGABONDIA.  137 

sternly  regulated  existence.  No  one  had  ever  dared 
to  joke  in  the  Bilberry  mansion  but  Dolly,  and  no 
one  but  Dolly  had  ever  made  the  clan  gatherings 
bearable  to  Euphemia ;  and  now  that  Dolly  was  cut 
off  from  them  all,  and  there  were  to  be  no  more  jokes 
and  no  more  small  adventures,  life  seemed  a  desert 
indeed.  And  then  with  the  calamitous  prospect  of 
Switzerland  and  the  lumpy  professor  before  her, 
Phemie  was  crushed  indeed. 

"  Mamma  does  n't  know  I  came,"  she  confessed, 
tearfully,  at  last ;  "  but  I  could  n't  help  it,  Dolly,  I 
could  n't  go  away  without  asking  you  to  write  to  me 
and  to  let  me  write  to  you.  You  will  write  to  me, 
won't  you  ? " 

Dolly  promised  at  once,  feeling  a  trifle  affected  her 
self.  She  had  always  been  fond  of  Phemie,  and  in 
clined  to  sympathize  with  her,  and  now  she  exerted 
herself  to  her  utmost  to  cheer  her.  She  persuaded 
her  to  sit  down,  and  after  picking  up  the  muff  and 
umbrella  and  parcels,  took  a  seat  by  her,  and  man 
aged  to  induce  her  to  dry  her  tears  and  enter  into 
particulars. 

"  It  will  never  do  for  Lady  Augusta  to  see  that  you 
have  been  crying,"  she  said.  "Dry  your  eyes,  and 
tell  me  all  about  it,  and  —  wait  a  minute,  I  have  a 
box  of  chocolates  here,  and  I  know  you  like  choco 
lates" 

It  was  a  childish  consolation,  perhaps,  but  Dolly 


138  VAGABONDIA. 

knew  what  she  was  doing  and  whom  she  was  dealing 
with,  and  this  comforting  with  confections  was  not 
without  its  kindly  girlish  tact.  Chocolates  were  one 
of  Phemie's  numerous  school-girl  weaknesses,  and  a 
weakness  so  rarely  indulged  in  that  she  perceptibly 
brightened  when  her  friend  produced  the  gay-colored, 
much-gilded  box.  And  thus  stimulated,  she  poured 
forth  her  sorrows  with  more  coherence  and  calmness. 
She  was  to  go  to  Switzerland,  that  was  settled,  and 
the  others  were  to  be  placed  in  various  other  highly 
select  educational  establishments.  They  were  becom 
ing  too  old  now,  Lady  Augusta  had  decided,  to  remain 
under  Dolly's  care. 

"  And  then,"  added  Euphemia,  half  timidly,  "  you 
won't  be  vexed  if  I  tell  you,  will  you  ? " 

"  Certainly  not,"  answered  Dolly,  who  knew  very 
well  what  was  coming,  though  poor  Phemie  evidently 
thought  she  was  going  to  impart  an  extremely  novel 
and  unexpected  piece  of  intelligence.  "What  is  it, 
Phemie  ? " 

"  Well,  somehow  or  other,  I  don't  believe  mamma 
exactly  likes  you,  Dolly." 

Now,  considering  circumstances,  this  innocent 
speech  amounted  to  a  rich  sort  of  thing  to  say,  but 
Dolly  did  not  laugh ;  she  might  caricature  Lady 
Augusta  for  the  benefit  of  her  own  select  circle  of 

O 

friends,  but  she  never  made  jokes  about  her  before 
Phemie,  however  sorely  she  might  be  tempted.  So, 


VAGABONDIA.  139 

now  she  helped  herself  to  a  chocolate  with  perfect 
sobriety  of  demeanor. 

"  Perhaps  not,"  she  admitted.  "  I  have  thought  so 
myself,  Phemie."  And  then,  as  soon  as  possible, 
changed  the  subject. 

At  length  Phemie  rose  to  go.  As  Lady  Augusta 
was  under  the  impression  that  she  was  merely  taking 
the  dismal  daily  constitutional,  which  was  one  of  her 
unavoidable  penances,  it  would  not  do  to  stay  too 
long. 

"  So  I  must  go,"  lamented  Phemie  ;  "  but,  Dolly,  if 
you  would  n't  mind,  I  should  so  like  to  see  the  baby. 
I  have  never  seen  him  since  the  day  we  called  with 
mamma,  —  and  I  am  so  fond  of  babies,  and  he  was  so 
pretty." 

Dolly  laughed,  in  spite  of  herself.  She  remem 
bered  the  visit  so  well,  and  Lady  Augusta's  loftily 
resigned  air  of  discovering,  in  the  passively  degener 
ate  new  arrival,  the  culminating  point  of  the  family 
depravity. 

"  It  is  much  to  be  regretted,"  she  had  said,  dis 
approvingly  ;  "  but  it  is  exactly  what  I  foresaw  from 
the  first,  and  you  will  have  to  make  the  best  of  it." 

And  then,  on  Dolly's  modestly  suggesting  that 
they  intended  to  do  so,  and  were  not  altogether  borne 
down  to  the  earth  by  the  heavy  nature  of  their  ca 
lamity,  she  had  openly  shuddered. 

But  Phemie  had  quite  clung  to  the  small  bundle 


140  VAGABONDIA. 

of  lawn  and  flannel,  and  though  she  had  never  seen 
Tod  since,  she  had  by  no  means  forgotten  him. 

"  He  will  be  quite  a  big  boy  when  I  come  back," 
she  added.  "  And  I  should  so  like  to  see  him  once 
again  while  he  is  a  baby." 

"  Oh,  you  shall  see  him/'  said  Dolly.  "  Tod  is  the 
one  individual  in  this  house  who  always  feels  him 
self  prepared  to  receive  visitors.  He  is  n't  fastidious 
about  his  personal  appearance.  If  you  will  come 
into  the  next  room,  I  dare  say  we  shall  find  him." 

And  they  did  find  him.  Being  desirous  of  employ 
ing,  to  the  greatest  advantage,  the  time  spent  in  his 
retirement  within  the  bosom  of  his  family,  he  was 
concentrating  his  energies  upon  the  mastication  of 
the  toe  of  his  slipper,  upon  which  task  he  was  bestow 
ing  the  strictest  and  most  undivided  attention,  as  he 
sat  in  the  centre  of  the  hearth-rug. 

"He  has  got  another  tooth,  Aunt  Dolly,"  announced 
'Toinette,  triumphantly,  as  soon  as  the  greetings  were 
over.  "  Show  Aunt  Dolly  his  tooth."  And,  being 
laid  upon  his  back  on  the  maternal  knee,  in  the  most 
uncomfortable  and  objectionable  of  positions,  the 
tooth  was  exhibited,  as  a  matter  calling  forth  public 
rejoicings. 

Phemie  knelt  on  the  carpet  before  him,  the  hum 
blest  of  his  devotees. 

"He  is  prettier  than  ever,"  she  said.  "Do  you 
think  he  would  come  to  me,  Mrs.  Crewe  ? " 


VAGABONDTA.  141 

And,  though  the  object  of  her  admiration  at  once 
asserted  his  prerogatives  by  openly  rejecting  her  over 
tures  with  scorn,  she  rejoiced  over  him  as  ecstatically 
as  if  he  had  shown  himself  the  most  amiable  of  in 
fant  prodigies,  which  he  most  emphatically  had  not, 
probably  having  been  rendered  irascible  by  the  rash 
and  inconsiderately  displayed  interest  in  his  dental 
developments.  Whatever  more  exacting  people  might 
have  thought,  Phemie  was  quite  satisfied. 

"  I  wish  I  was  in  your  place,  Dolly,"  she  said,  as 
she  was  going  away.  "  You  seem  so  happy  together 
here,  somehow  or  other.  Oh,  dear  !  You  don't  know 
how  dreadful  our  house  seems  by  contrast.  If  things 
would  break  or  upset,  or  look  a  little  untidy,  —  or  if 
mamma's  caps  and  dresses  just  would  n't  look  so  solid 
and  heavy  —  " 

"Ah!"  laughed  Dolly,  "you  haven't  seen  our 
worst  side,  Phemie,  —  the  shabby  side,  which  means 
worn  shoes  and  old  dresses  and  bills.  We  don't  get 
our  whistle  for  nothing  in  Vagabondia,  though,  to  be 
sure,"  —  and  I  won't  say  a  memory  of  the  shabby 
coat-sleeve  did  not  suggest  the  amendment,  —  "I 
don't  think  we  pay  too  dearly  for  it ;  and  I  believe 
there  is  not  one  of  us  who  would  sot  rather  pay  for 
it  than  live  without  it." 

And  when  she  gave  the  girl  her  farewell  kiss,  it 
was  a  very  warm  one,  with  a  touch  of  pity  in  it.  Tt 
was  impossible  for  her  to  help  feeling  sympathy  for 


142  VAGABONDIA 

any  one  who  was  without   the    Griffith  element  in 
existence. 

After  this  she  went  out  herself  to  apply  at  the 
printer's,  and  was  sent  from  there  to  Brabazon  Lodge, 
which  was  a  suburban  establishment,  in  a  chilly 
aristocratic  quarter.  An  imposing  edifice,  Brabazon 
Lodge,  built  of  stone,  and  most  uncompromisingly 
devoid  of  superfluous  ornament.  No  mock  minarets 
or  unstable  towers  at  Brabazon  Lodge,  —  a  substantial 
mansion  in  a  substantial  garden  behind  substantial 
iron  gates,  and  so  solid  in  its  appointments  that  it 
was  quite  a  task  for  Dolly  to  raise  the  substantial 
lion's  head  which  formed  the  front-door  knocker. 

"  Wanted,  a  young  person,"  she  was  saying  to  her 
self,  meekly,  when  her  summons  was  answered  by  a 
man-servant,  and  she  barely  escaped  announcing  her 
self  as  "  the  young  person,  sir." 

Once  inside  the  house,  she  was  not  kept  waiting. 
She  was  ushered  into  a  well-appointed  side- room, 
where  a  bright  fire  burned  in  the  grate.  The  man 
retired  to  make  known  her  arrival  to  his  mistress, 
and  Dolly  settled  herself  in  a  chair  by  the  hearth. 

"  I  wonder  how  many  '  young  persons  '  have  been 
sent  away  sorrowing  this  morning,"  she  said,  "  and  I 
wonder  how  Griffith  will  like  the  idea  of  my  filling 
the  position  of  companion  to  an  elderly  lady,  or  any 
other  order  of  lady,  for  the  matter  of  that  ?  Poor  old 
fellow !"  and  she  gave  vent  to  an  unmistakable  sigh. 


VAGABONDIA.  143 

But  the  appearance  of  the  elderly  lady  put  an  end 
to  her  regrets.  The  door  opened  and  she  entered, 
and  Dolly  rose  to  receive  her.  The  next  instant} 
however,  she  gave  a  little  start.  She  had  seen  the 
elderly  lady  before,  and  confronting  her  now  recog 
nized  her  at  once,  —  Miss  Berenice  MacDowlas. 
And  that  Miss  MacDowlas  recognized  her  also  was 
quite  evident,  for  she  advanced  with  the  air  of  one 
who  was  not  at  all  at  a  loss. 

"  How  do  you  do  ? "  she  remarked,  succinctly,  and 
gave  Dolly  her  hand. 

That  young  person  took  it  modestly. 

"I  believe  I  have  had  the  pleasure  — "  she  was 
beginning,  when  Miss  MacDowlas  interrupted  her. 

"You  met  me  at  the  Bilberrys',"  she  said.  "I 
remember  seeing  you  very  well.  You  are  Dorothea 
Crewe." 

Dolly  bowed  in  her  most  insinuatingly  graceful 
manner. 

"Take  a  seat,"  said  Miss  MacDowlas. 

Dolly  did  so  at  once. 

Miss  MacDowlas  looked  at  her  with  the  air  of  an 
elderly  lady  who  was  not  displeased. 

"  I  remember  you  very  well/'  she  repeated.  "  You 
were  governess  there.  Why  did  you  leave  ?  " 

Dolly  did  not  know  very  definitely,  and  told  her 
so. 

The  notice  given  her  had  been  unexpected.     Lady 


144  VAGABOND1A. 

Augusta  had  said  it  was  because  her  pupils  were  old 
enough  to  be  sent  from  home. 

"  Oh ! "  said  Miss  MacDowlas,  and  looked  at  her 
again  from  her  hat  to  her  shoes. 

"  You  are  fond  of  reading  ?  "  she  asked  next. 

"  Yes/'  answered  Dolly. 

"  You  read  French  well  ?  " 

"  Yes/'  said  Dolly.  She  knew  she  need  not  hesi 
tate  to  say  that,  at  least. 

"  You  are  good  company  and  are  fond  of  society  ? " 

"I  am  fond  of  society,"  said  Dolly,  "and  I  hope  1 
am  '  good  company.' " 

"  You  don't  easily  lose  patience  ? " 

"  It  depends  upon  circumstances/'  said  Dolly. 

"  You  can  play  and  sing  ? " 

"  I  did  both  the  night  I  met  you/'  returned  the 
young  person. 

"  So  you  did,"  said  Miss  MacDowlas,  and  examined 
her  again. 

It  was  rather  an  odd  interview,  upon  the  whole, 
but  it  did  not  end  unfortunately.  Miss  MacDowlas 
wanted  a  companion  who  was  quick-witted  and  amus 
ing,  and,  having  seen  that  Dolly  was  both  on  the 
evening  of  the  Bilberry  clan  gathering,  she  had  taken 
a  fancy  to  her.  So  after  a  little  sharp  questioning, 
she  announced  her  decision.  She  would  employ  her 
to  fill  the  vacant  situation  at  the  same  rate  of  salary 
she  had  enjoyed  in  her  position  of  governess  to  the 


VAGABONDIA.  145 

youthful  Bilberrys,  and  she  would  employ  her  at 
once. 

"  I  want  somebody  to  amuse  me/'  she  said,  "  and  I 
think  you  can  do  it.  I  am  often  an  invalid,  and  my 
medical  man  says  the  society  of  a  young  person  will 
benefit  me." 

So  it  was  settled  that  the  following  week  Dolly 
should  take  up  her  abode  at  Brabazon  Lodge  and 
enter  upon  the  fulfilment  of  her  duties.  She  was  to 
read,  play,  sing,  assist  in  the  entertainment  of  visitors, 
and  otherwise  make  herself  generally  useful,  and, 
above  all,  she  was  to  be  amusing. 

She  left  the  house  and  proceeded  homeward  in  a 
peculiar  frame  of  mind.  She  could  have  laughed, 
but  she  was  compelled  to  admit  to  herself  that  she 
could  also  have  cried  with  equal  readiness.  She  had 
met  with  an  adventure  indeed.  She  was  a  young 
person  at  large  no  longer ;  henceforth  she  was  the 
property  of  the  elderly  dragon  she  had  so  often 
laughed  at  with  Griffith.  And  yet  the  dragon  had 
not  been  so  objectionable,  after  all.  She  had  been 
abrupt  and  unceremonious,  but  she  had  been  better 
than  Lady  Augusta,  and  she  had  not  shown  herself 
illiberal.  But  there  would  be  no  more  daily  visits 
from  Griffith,  no  more  tete-a-tetes  in  the  shabby  parlor, 
no  more  sitting  by  the  fire  when  the  rest  had  left  the 
room,  no  more  tender  and  inconsistently  long  farewells 
at  the  front  door.  It  was  not  pleasant  to  think 

10 


146  VAGABONDIA. 

about.  She  found  herself  catching  her  breath  quickly, 
with  a  sound  like  a  little  sob. 

"  He  will  miss  it  awfully/'  she  said  to  herself,  hold 
ing  her  muff  closely  with  her  small,  cold  hands,  and 
shutting  her  eyes  to  work  away  a  tear;  "but  he 
won't  miss  it  more  than  I  shall.  He  might  live 
without  me  perhaps,  but  I  could  n't  live  without  him. 
I  wonder  if  ever  two  people  cared  for  each  other  as 
we  do  before  ?  And  I  wonder  if  the  time  will 
ever  come  —  "  And  there  she  broke  off  again,  and 
ended  as  she  so  often  did.  "  Poor  old  fellow  ! "  she 
said.  "Poor,  dear,  patient,  faithful  fellow!  how  I 
love  you!" 

She  hurried  on  briskly  after  this,  but  she  was  won 
dering  all  the  time  what  he  would  say  when  he  found 
out  that  they  were  really  to  be  separated.  He  would 
rebel,  she  knew,  and  anathematize  fate  vehemently. 
But  she  knew  the  rest  of  them  would  regard  it  as 
rather  a  rich  joke  that  chance  should  have  thrown 
her  into  the  hands  of  Miss  MacDowlas.  They  had 
all  so  often  laughed  at  Griffith's  descriptions  of  her 
and  her  letters,  given  generally  when  he  had  been 
galled  into  a  caustic  mood  by  the  arrival  of  one  of 
the  latter. 

Beaching  Bloomsbury  Place,  Dolly  found  her  lover 
there.  He  had  dropped  in  on  his  way  to  his  lodg 
ings,  and  was  awaiting  her  in  a  fever  of  expectation, 
having  heard  the  news  from  Aime'e. 


VAGABOND1A.  147 

"  What  is  this  Aimce  has  been  telling  me  ? "  he 
cried,  the  moment  she  entered  the  room.  "  You  can't 
be  in  earnest,  Doll!  You  can't  leave  home  alto 
gether,  you  know." 

She  tossed  her  muff  on  the  table  and  sat  down 
on  one  of  the  low  chairs,  with  her  feet  on  the 
fender. 

"  I  thought  so  until  this  morning,"  she  said,  a  trifle 
mournfully;  "but  it  can't  be  helped.  The  fact  is,  it 
is  all  settled  now.  I  am  an  engaged  young  person." 

"  Settled  ! "  exclaimed  Griffith,  indignantly.  "  En 
gaged  !  Dolly,  I  did  n't  think  you  would  have  done 
it." 

"  I  could  n't  help  doing  it,"  said  Dolly,  her  spirits 
by  no  means  rising  as  she  spoke.  "  How  could  I  ? " 

But  he  would  not  be  consoled  by  any  such  cold 
comfort.  He  had  regarded  the  possibility  of  her 
leaving  the  house  altogether  as  something  not  likely 
to  be  thought  of.  Very  naturally,  he  was  of  the  opin 
ion  that  Dolly  was  as  absolute  a  necessity  to  every 
one  else  as  she  was  to  himself.  What  should  he  do 
without  her  ?  How  could  he  exist  ?  It  was  an  un 
reasoning  insanity  to  talk  about  it.  He  was  so 
roused  by  his  subject  indeed,  that,  neither  of  them 
being  absolutely  angelic  in  temperament,  they  wan 
dered  off  into  something  very  like  a  little  quarrel 
about  it,  —  he,  goaded  to  lover-like  madness  by  the 
idea  that  she  could  live  without  him ;  she,  rinding  her 


148  VAGABONDIA. 

low  spirits  culminate  in  a  touch  of  anger  at  his  hot 
headed,  affectionate  obstinacy. 

"  But  it  is  not  to  be  expected/'  he  broke  out  at  last, 
without  any  reason  whatever,  —  "  it  is  not  to  be  ex 
pected  that  you  can  contend  against  everything.  You 
are  tired  of  disappointment,  and  I  don't  blame  you. 
I  should  be  a  selfish  dolt  if  I  did.  If  Gowan  had 
been  in  my  place  he  could  have  married  you,  and 
have  given  you  a  home  of  your  own.  I  never  shall 
be  able  to  do  that.  But,"  with  great  weakness  and 
evidence  of  tribulation  at  the  thought,  "I  didn't 
think  you  would  be  so  cool  about  it,  Dolly." 

"  Cool ! "  cried  Dolly,  waxing  wroth  and  penitent 
both  at  once,  as  usual.  "  Who  is  cool  ?  Not  I,  that 
is  certain.  I  shall  miss  you  every  hour  of  my  life, 
Griffith."  And  the  sad  little  shadow  on  her  face  was 
so  real  that  he  was  pacified  at  once. 

"  I  am  an  unreasonable  simpleton  ! "  was  his  next 
remorseful  outburst. 

"  You  have  said  that  before,"  said  Dolly,  rather 
hard-heartedly ;  but  in  spite  of  it  she  did  not  refuse 
to  let  him  be  as  affectionate  as  he  chose  when  he 
knelt  down  by  her  chair,  as  he  did  the  next  minute. 

" It  would  be  a  great  deal  better  for  me"  she  half 
whispered,  breaking  the  suspicious  silence  that  fol 
lowed,  — "  it  would  be  a  great  deal  better  for  me  if 
I  did  not  care  for  you  half  so  much ; "  and  yet  at 
the  same  time  she  leaned  a  trifle  more  toward  him  in 


VAGA  BONDIA .  149 

the  most  traitorous  of  half-coaxing,  half-reproachful 
ways. 

" It  would  be  the  death  of  me"  said  Griffith  ;  and 
he  at  once  plunged  into  an  eloquently  persuasive 
dissertation  upon  the  height  and  depth  and  breadth 
and  force  of  his  love  for  her.  He  was  prone  to  such 
dissertations,  and  always  ready  with  one  to  improve 
any  occasion ;  and  I  am  compelled  to  admit  that,  far 
from  checking  him,  Dolly  rather  liked  them,  and  was 
given  to  encourage  and  incite  him  to  their  delivery. 
When  this  one  was  ended,  he  was  quite  in  the  frame 
of  mind  to  listen  to  reason,  and  let  her  enter  into 
particulars  concerning  her  morning's  efforts,  which 
she  did,  at  length,  only  adding  a  flavor  of  the  myste 
rious  up  to  the  introduction  of  Miss  MacDowlas. 

"  What ! "  cried  out  Griffith,  when  she  let  out  the 
secret.  "  Confound  it !  No  !  Not  Aunt  MacDowlas 
in  the  flesh,  Dolly  ?  You  are  joking." 

"  No,"  answered  Dolly,  shaking  her  head  at  the 
amazed  faces  of  the  girls,  who  had  come  in  during 
the  recital,  and  who  had  been  guilty  of  the  impro 
priety  of  all  exclaiming  at  once  when  the  climax 
was  reached.  "  I  am  in  earnest.  I  am  engaged  as 
companion  to  no  less  a  person  than  Miss  Berenice 
MacDowlas." 

"  Why,  it  is  like  something  out  of  a  three-volumed 
novel,"  said  Mollie. 

"  It  is  a  good  joke,"  said  'Toinette. 


150  VAGABONDIA. 

"  It  is  very  awkward,"  commented  Aimee.  "  If 
she  finds  out  you  are  engaged  to  Griffith,  she  will 
think  it  so  indiscreet  of  you  both  that  she  will  cut 
him  off  with  a  shilling." 

"Indiscreet!"  echoed  Dolly.  "So  we  are  indis 
creet,  my  sage  young  friend,  —  but  indiscretion  is 
like  variety,  it  is  the  spice  of  life." 

And  by  this  brisk  speech  she  managed  to  sweep 
away  the  shadow  which  had  touched  Griffith's  face, 
at  the  unconscious  hint  at  their  lack  of  wisdom. 

"  Don't  say  such  a  thing  again,"  she  said  to  Aimee 
afterward,  when  they  were  talking  the  matter  over, 
as  they  always  talked  things  over  together,  "  or  he 
will  fancy  that  you  share  his  own  belief  that  he  has 
something  to  reproach  himself  with.  Better  to  be 
indiscreet  than  to  love  one  another  less." 

"A  great  deal  better,"  commented  the  wise  one  of 
the  family,  oracularly.  She  was  not  nineteen  yet, 
this  wise  one,  but  she  was  a  great  comfort  and  help 
to  Dolly,  and  indeed  to  all  of  them.  "  And  it  is  n't 
my  way  to  blame  you,  either,  Dolly,  though  things  do 
look  so  entangled.  /  never  advised  you  to  give  it  up, 
you  know." 

"Give  it  up,"  cried  Dolly,  a  soft,  pathetic  warmth 
and  color  rising  to  her  face  and  eyes.  "  Give  it  up  ! 
There  would  be  too  much  of  what  has  past  and  what 
is  to  come  to  give  up  with  it.  Give  it  up  !  I  wouldn't 
if  I  could,  and  I  could  n't  if  I  would." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IN  WHICH  A   SPARK  IS  APPLIED. 

IT  was  several  days  before  Bloomsbury  Place  settled 
down  and  became  itself  again  after  Dolly's  de 
parture.  They  all  missed  her  as  they  would  have 
missed  any  one  of  their  number  who  had  chanced  to 
leave  them  ;  but  Griffith,  coming  in  to  make  his  daily 
visits,  was  naturally  almost  disconsolate,  and  for  a 
week  or  so  refused  to  be  comforted. 

He  could  not  overcome  his  habit  of  dropping  in  on 
his  way  to  and  from  his  lodgings,  which  were  near 
by ;  it  was  a  habit  of  too  long  standing  to  be  overcome 
easily,  and  besides  this,  he  was  so  far  a  part  of  the 
family  circle  that  his  absence  from  it  would  have 
been  regarded  by  its  other  members  as  something 
rather  like  a  slight,  so  he  was  obliged  to  pay  them 
the  delicate  attention  of  presenting  himself  at  least 
once  a  day.  And  thus  his  wounds  were  kept  open. 
To  come  into  the  parlor  and  find  them  all  there  but 
Dolly,  to  see  her  favorite  chair  occupied  by  Mollie  OT 
Aimee  or  'Toinette,  to  hear  them  talk  about  her  and 


152  VAGABONDIA. 

discuss  her  prospects,  —  well,  there  were  times  when 
he  was  quite  crushed  by  it. 

"  If  there  was  any  hope  of  a  better  day  coming," 
he  said  to  Aimee,  who,  through  being  the  family  sage, 
was,  of  course,  the  family  confidante,  "if  there  was 
only  something  real  to  look  forward  to,  but  we  are 
just  where  we  were  three  years  ago,  and  this  sort  of 
thing  cannot  go  on  forever.  What  right  have  I  to 
hold  her  to  her  word  when  other  men  might  make 
her  happier?" 

Aimee,  sitting  on  a  stool  at  his  feet  and  looking 
reflective,  shook  her  head. 

"  That  is  not  a  right  view  to  take,"  she  said,  "  and 
it  is  n't  fair  to  Dolly.  Dolly  would  be  happier  with 
you  on  a  pound  a  week  than  she  would  be  with  any 
one  else  on  ten  thousand  a  year.  And  you  ought  to 
know  that  by  this  time,  Griffith.  It  is  n't  a  question 
of  happiness  at  all." 

"  I  don't  mean  —  "  he  was  beginning,  but  Aimee 
interrupted  him.  Her  part  of  this  love  affair  was  to 
lay  plans  for  the  benefit  of  the  lovers  and  to  endeavor 
to  settle  their  little  difficulties  in  her  own  way. 

"  I  am  very  fond  of  Dolly,"  she  said. 

"Fond  of  her!"  echoed  Griffith.  "So  am  I.  Who 
isn't?" 

"  I   am   very   fond   of  Dolly,"  Aimee   proceeded 

"  And  /  know  her  as  other  people  do  not,  perhaps. 

She  does  not  show  as  much  of  her  real  self  to  out- 


VAGABONDIA.  153 

siders  as  they  think.  I  have  often  thought  her  daring, 
open  way  deceived  people  when  it  made  them  fancy 
she  was  so  easy  to  read.  She  has  romantic  fancies  of 
her  own  the  world  never  suspects  her  of,  —  if  I  did 
not  know  her  as  I  do,  she  is  the  last  person  on  earth 
I  should  suspect  of  cherishing  such  fancies.  The  fact 
is,  you  are  a  sort  of  romance  to  her,  and  her  love  for 
you  is  one  of  her  dreams,  and  she  clings  to  it  as  closely 
as  she  would  cling  to  life.  It  is  a  dream  she  has  lived 
on  so  long  that  it  has  become  part  of  herself,  and  it 
is  my  impression  that  if  anything  happened  to  break 
her  belief  in  it  she  would  die,  —  yes,  die  !  "  with  an 
other  emphatic  shake  of  the  pretty  head.  "  And 
Dolly  is  n't  the  sort  of  girl  to  die  for  nothing," 

Griffith  raised  his  bowed  head  from  his  hands,  his 
soft,  dark,  womanish  eyes  lighting  up  and  his  sallow 
young  face  flushing.  "  God  bless  her,  —  no  !  "  he  said. 
"  Her  life  has  not  been  free  from  thorns,  even  so  far, 
and  she  has  not  often  cried  out  against  them." 

"  No,"  answered  Aimee.  "  And  when  the  roses 
come,  no  one  will  see  as  you  will  how  sweet  she  finds 
them.  Your  Dolly  is  n't  Lady  Augusta's  Dolly,  or 
Mollie's,  or  Ealph  Gowan's,  or  even  mine ;  she  is  the 
Dolly  no  one  but  her  lover  and  her  husband  has  ever 
seen  or  ever  will  see.  You  can  get  at  the  spark  in 
the  opal." 

Griffith  was  comforted,  as  he  often  found  himself 
comforted,  under  the  utterances  of  this  wise  one. 


154  VAGABONDIA. 

His  desperation  was  toned  down,  and  he  was  readiei 
to  hope  for  the  best  and  to  feel  warm  at  heart  and 
grateful,  —  grateful  for  Dolly  and  the  tender  thoughts 
that  were  bound  up  in  his  love  for  her.  The  tender 
phantom  Aimee's  words  had  conjured  up,  stirred 
within  his  bosom  a  thrill  so  loving  and  impassioned, 
that  for  the  time  the  radiance  seemed  to  emanate 
from  the  very  darkest  of  his  clouds  of  disappointment 
and  discouragement.  He  was  reminded  that  but  for 
those  very  clouds  the  girl's  truth  and  faith  would 
never  have  shone  out  so  brightly.  But  for  their  pov 
erty  and  long  probation,  he  could  never  have  learned 
how  much  she  was  ready  to  face  for  love's  sake. 
And  it  was  such  an  innocent  phantom,  too,  this 
bright  little  figure  smiling  upon  him  through  the 
darkness,  with  Dolly's  own  face,  and  Dolly's  own 
saucy,  fanciful  ways,  and  Dolly's  own  hands  out 
stretched  toward  him.  He  quite  plucked  up  spirit. 

"  If  Old  Flynn  could  just  be  persuaded  to  give  me 
a  raise,"  he  said ;  "  it  would  n't  take  much  of  an  in 
come  for  two  people  to  live  on." 

"  No,"  answered  the  wise  one,  feeling  some  slight 
misgivings,  more  on  the  subject  of  the  out-go  than 
the  income.  "  You  might  live  on  very  little  —  if 
you  had  it." 

"  Yes,"  said  Griffith,  apparently  struck  by  the  bril 
liancy  of  the  observation,  "  Dolly  and  I  have  said  so 
often." 


VAGABONDIA.  155 

"Let  me  see/'  considered  Aimee,  "suppose  we 
were  to  make  a  sort  of  calculation.  Give  me  your 
lead-pencil  and  a  leaf  out  of  your  pocket-book." 

Griffith  produced  both  at  once.  He  had  done  it 
often  enough  before  when  Dolly  had  been  the  calcu 
lator,  and  had  made  a  half-serious  joke  of  the  per 
formance,  counting  up  her  figures  on  the  tips  of  her 
fingers,  and  making  great  professions  of  her  knowl 
edge  of  domestic  matters ;  but  it  was  a  different 
affair  in  Aimee's  hands.  Aimee  was  in  earnest,  and 
bending  over  her  scrap  of  paper,  with  two  or  three 
little  lines  on  her  white  forehead,  began  to  set  things 
down  with  an  air  at  once  business-like  and  vigorous, 
reading  the  various  items  aloud. 

"Kent,  coals,  taxes,  food,  wages,  —  you  can't  do 
your  own  washing,  you  know,  —  clothes,  etceteras. 
There  it  is,  Griffith,"  the  odd,  tried  look  settling  in 
her  eyes. 

Griffith  took  the  paper. 

"  Thank  you,"  lie  remarked,  resignedly,  after  he 
had  glanced  at  it.  "Just  fifty  pounds  per  annum 
more  than  I  have  any  prospect  of  getting.  But  you 
are  very  kind  to  take  so  much  interest  in  it,  little  wo 
man."  "  Little  woman  "  was  his  pet  name  for  her. 

She  put  her  hand  up  to  her  forehead  and  gave  the 
wrinkles  a  little  rub,  as  if  she  would  have  liked  to 
rub  them  away. 

"  No,"  she  said,  in  distress.     "  I  am  very  fond  of 


156  VAGABONDIA. 

calculating,  so  it  isn't  any  trouble  to  me.  I  only 
wish  I  could  calculate  until  what  you  want  and  what 
you  have  got  would  come  out  even." 

Griffith  sighed.  He  had  wished  the  same  thing 
himself  upon  several  occasions. 

He  had  one  consolation  in  the  midst  of  his  tribu 
lations,  however.  He  had  Dolly's  letters,  one  of 
which  arrived  at  "  the  office  "  every  few  days.  Cer 
tainly  they  were  both  faithful  correspondents.  Tied 
with  blue  ribbon  in  a  certain  strong  box,  lay  an  im 
mense  collection  of  small  envelopes,  all  marked  with 
one  peculiarity,  namely,  that  the  letters  inside  them 
had  been  at  once  closely  written,  and  so  much  too 
tightly  packed  that  it  seemed  a  wonder  they  had 
ever  arrived  safely  at  their  destination.  They  bore 
various  postmarks,  foreign  and  English,  and  were  of 
different  tints,  but  they  were  all  directed  in  the  one 
small,  dashing  hand,  whose  £'s  were  crossed  with  an 
audacious  little  flourish,  and  whose  capitals  were  so 
prone  to  run  into  whimsical  little  curls.  Most  of 
them  had  been  written  when  Dolly  had  sojourned 
with  her  charges  in  Switzerland,  and  some  of  them 
were  merely  notes  of  appointment  from  Bloomsbury 
Place  ;  but  each  of  them  held  its  own  magnetic  attrac 
tion  for  Griffith,  and  not  one  of  them  would  he  have 
parted  with  for  untold  gold.  He  could  count  these 
small  envelopes  by  the  score,  but  he  had  never  re 
ceived  one  in  his  life  without  experiencing  a  positive 


VAGABONDIA.  157 

throb  of  delight,  which  held  fresh  pleasure  every 
time. 

Most  of  these  letters,  too,  had  stories  of  their  own. 
Some  had  come  when  he  had  been  discouraged  and 
down  at  heart,  and  they  had  been  so  full  of  sunshine, 
and  pretty,  loving  conceits,  that  by  the  time  he  had 
finished  reading  them  he  had  been  positively  jubi 
lant  ;  some>  I  regret  to  say,  were  a  trifle  wilful  and 
coquettish,  and  had  so  roused  him  to  jealous  fancies 
that  he  had  instantly  dashed  off  a  page  or  so  of  insane 
reproach  and  distrust  which  had  been  the  beginning 
of  a  lover's  quarrel;  some  of  them  (always  written 
after  he  had  been  specially  miserable  and  unreason 
ing)  were  half-pathetic  mixtures  of  reproach  and  ap 
peal,  full  of  small  dashes  of  high  indignation,  and 
outbursts  of  penitence,  and  with  such  a  capricious, 
yet  passionate  ring  in  every  line,  that  they  had 
seemed  less  like  letters  than  actual  speech,  and  had 
almost  forced  him  to  fancy  that  Dolly  herself  was  at 
his  side,  all  in  the  flush  and  glow  of  one  of  her  pret 
tiest  remorseful  outbreaks. 

And  these  letters  from  Brabazon  Lodge  were  just 
as  real,  so  they  at  least  helped  him  to  bear  his  trials 
more  patiently  than  he  could  otherwise  have  done. 
She  was  far  more  comfortable  than  she  had  expected 
to  be,  she  told  him.  Her  duties  were  light,  and  Miss 
MacDowlas  not  hard  to  please,  and  altogether  she 
was  not  dissatisfied. 


158  VAGABONDIA. 

"  But  that  I  am  away  from  you,"  she  wrote,  "  I 
should  say  Brabazon  Lodge  was  better  than  the  Bil- 
berrys'.  There  is  no  skirmishing  with  Lady  Augusta, 
at  least ;  and,  though  skirmishing  with  Lady  Augusta 
is  not  without  its  mild  excitement,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  one's  happiness,  and  may  be  dispensed  with.  I 
wonder  what  Miss  MacDowlas  would  say  if  she 
knew  why  I  wear  this  modest  ring  on  my  third 
finger.  When  I  explained  to  her  casually  that  we 
were  old  friends,  she  succinctly  remarked  that  you 
Were  a  reprobate,  and,  feeling  it  prudent  not  to  pro 
ceed  with  further  disclosures,  I  bent  my  head  de 
murely  over  my  embroidery,  and  subsided  into  silence. 
I  cannot  discover  why  she  disapproves  of  you  unless 
it  is  that  she  has  erratic  notions  about  literary  people. 
Perhaps  she  will  alter  her  opinion  in  time.  As  it  is, 
it  can  scarcely  matter  whether  she  knows  of  our  en 
gagement  or  not.  When  a  fitting  opportunity  arrives 
I  shall  tell  her,  and  I  don't  say  I  shall  not  enjoy  the 
spice  of  the  denouement.  In  the  meantime  I  read 
aloud  to  her,  talk,  work  wonders  in  Berlin  wool,  and 
play  or  sing  when  she  asks  me,  which  is  not  often. 
In  the  morning  we  drive  out,  in  the  afternoon  she 
enjoys  her  nap,  and  in  the  evening  I  sit  decorously 
intent  upon  the  Berlin  wonders,  but  thinking  all  the 
time  of  you  and  the  parlor  in  Bloomsbury  Place, 
where  Tod  disports  himself  in  triumphant  indiffer 
ence  to  consequences,  and  where  the  girls  discuss  the 


VAGABONDIA.  159 

lingering  possibilities  of  their  wardrobes.  You  may 
tell  Mollie  we  are  very  grand,  —  we  have  an  im 
mense  footman,  who  accompanies  us  in  our  walks  or 
drives,  and  condescends  to  open  and  shut  our  car 
riage-door  for  us,  with  the  air  of  a  gentleman  at 
leisure.  I  am  rather  inclined  to  think  that  this  gen 
tleman  has  cast  an  approving  eye  upon  me,  as  I 
heard  him  observe  to  the  housemaid  the  other  day, 
that  I  was  '  a  reether  hinterestin'  young  party/  which 
mark  of  friendly  notice  has  naturally  cheered  me  on 
my  lonely  way." 

Among  the  people  who  felt  the  change  in  the 
household  keenly,  Ealph  Gowan  may  assuredly  be 
included.  He  missed  Dolly  as  much  as  any  of  them 
did,  but  he  missed  her  in  a  different  manner.  He 
did  not  call  quite  as  often  as  he  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  doing,  and  when  he  did  call  he  was  more  silent 
and  less  entertaining.  Dolly  had  always  had  an  in 
spiring  effect  upon  him,  and,  lacking  the  influence  of 
her  presence,  even  Yagabondia  lost  something  of  its 
charm.  So  sometimes  he  was  guilty  of  the  impolite 
ness  of  slipping  into  half-unconscious  reveries  of  a 
few  minutes'  duration,  and,  being  thus  guilty  upon 
one  particular  occasion,  he  was  roused,  after  a  short 
lapse  of  time,  through  the  magnetic  influence  of  a 
pair  of  soft  eyes  fixed  upon  him,  which  eyes  he  en 
countered  the  instant  he  looked  up,  with  a  start. 

Mollie  —  the  eyes  were  Mollie's  —  dropped  her 


160  VAGABONDIA. 

brown  lashes  with  a  quick  motion,  turning  a  little 
away  from  him  ;  so  he  smiled  at  her  with  a  sense  of 
half-awakened  appreciation.  It  was  so  natural  to 
smile  so  at  Mollie. 

"  Why,  Mollie,"  he  said,  "  what  ails  us  ?  We  are 
not  usually  so  dull.  We  have  not  spoken  to  each 
other  for  ten  minutes." 

The  girl  did  not  look  at  him ;  her  round,  childish 
cheek  was  flushed,  and  her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the 
fire,  half  proudly,  half  with  a  sort  of  innocently  trans 
parent  indifference. 

"Perhaps  we  have  nothing  worth  saying  to  each 
other,"  she  said.  "  Everybody  is  n't  like  Dolly." 

Dolly !  He  colored  slightly,  though  he  smiled 
again.  How  did  she  know  he  was  thinking  of  Dolly  ? 
Was  it  so  patent  a  fact  that  even  she  could  read  it  in 
his  face  ?  It  never  occurred  to  him  for  an  instant 
that  there  could  exist  a  reason  why  the  eyes  of  this 
grown-up  baby  should  be  sharpened.  She  was  such 
a  very  baby,  with  her  ready  blushes  and  her  pettish, 
lovely  face. 

"  And  so  you  miss  Dolly,  too  ? "  he  said. 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders,  as  if  to  imply  that  she 
considered  the  question  superfluous. 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  she  answered ;  "  and  of  course 
we  all  do.  Dolly  is  the  sort  of  person  likely  to  be 
missed." 

She  was  so  petulant  about  it  that,  not  understanding 


VAGABONDIA.  161 

her,  he  was  both  amused  and  puzzled,  and  so  by  de 
grees  was  drawn  into  making  divers  gallant,  almost 
caressing  speeches,  such  as  might  have  been  drawn 
from  him  by  the  changeful  mood  of  a  charming, 
wilful  child. 

"  Something  has  made  you  angry,"  he  said.  "  What 
is  it,  Mollie  ? " 

"  Nothing  has  made  me  angry,"  she  replied.  "  I 
am  not  angry." 

"  But  you  look  angry,"  he  returned,  "  and  how  do 
you  suppose  I  am  to  be  interesting  when  you  look 
angry  ? " 

"  It  cannot  matter  to  you,"  said  Miss  Mollie, 
"  whether  I  am  angry  or  not." 

"  Not  matter  ! "  he  echoed,  with  great  gravity.  "  It 
amounts  to  positive  cruelty.  Just  at  this  particular 
moment  I  feel  as  if  I  should  never  smile  again." 

She  reddened  to  her  very  throat,  and  then  turned 
round  all  at  once,  flashing  upon  him  such  a  piteous, 
indignant,  indescribable  glance  as  almost  startled 
him. 

"  You  are  making  fun  of  me,"  she  cried  out.  "You 
always  make  fun  of  me.  You  would  n't  talk  so  to 
Dolly."  And  that  instant  she  burst  into  tears. 

He  was  dumbfounded.  He  could  not  comprehend 
it  at  all.  He  had  thought  of  her  as  being  so  com 
pletely  a  child,  that  her  troubles  were  never  more 
than  a  child's  troubles,  and  her  moods  a  child's 

11 


162  VAGABONDIA. 

moods.  He  had  admired  her,  too,  as  he  would  have 
admired  her  if  she  had  been  six  years  old,  and  be 
had  never  spoken  to  her  as  he  would  have  spoken  to 
a  woman,  in  the  whole  course  of  their  acquaintance. 
She  was  right  in  telling  him  that  he  would  not  have 
said  such  things  to  Dolly.  He  was  both  concerned 
and  touched.  What  could  he  do  but  go  to  her  and 
be  dangerously  penitent,  and  say  a  great  many  things 
easily  said,  but  not  soon  to  be  forgotten  !  Indeed,  her 
soft,  nervous,  passionate  sobs,  of  which  she  was  so 
much  ashamed,  her  innocent  tremor,  and  her  pretty, 
wilful  disregard  of  his  remorse  were  such  a  new  sensa 
tion  to  him,  that  it  must  be  confessed  he  was  not  so 
discreet  as  he  should  have  been. 

"You  never  speak  so  to  Dolly,"  she  persisted,  "nor 
to  Aimee,  either,  and  Aimee  is  only  two  years  older 
than  I  am.  It  is  not  my  fault,"  petulantly,  "  that  I 
am  only  seventeen." 

"  Fault ! "  he  repeated  after  her.  "  It  is  a  very 
charming  fault,  if  it  is  one.  Come,  Mollie,"  looking 
down  at  her  with  a  tender  softness  in  his  eyes, "  make 
friends  with  me  again,  —  we  ought  to  be  friends. 
See,  —  let  us  shake  hands  ! " 

Of  course  she  let  him  take  her  hand  and  hold  it 
lightly  for  a  moment  as  he  talked,  his  really  honest 
remorse  at  his  blunder  making  him  doubly  earnest 
and  so  doubly  dangerous.  She  had  swept  even  Dolly 
out  of  his  mind  for  the  time  being,  and  she  occupied 


VAGABONDIA.  163 

his  attention  so  fully  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  that 
he  had  not  the  time  to  be  absent-minded  again.  In 
half  an  hour  all  traces  of  her  tears  had  fled,  and  she 
was  sitting  on  her  footstool  near  him,  accepting  with 
such  evident  delight  his  efforts  at  amusing  her,  that 
she  quite  repaid  him  for  his  trouble. 

After  this  there  seemed  to  be  some  connecting  link 
between  them.  In  default  of  other  attractions,  he 
made  headway  with  Mollie,  and  was  to  some  extent 
consoled.  He  talked  to  her  when  he  made  his  visits, 
and  it  gradually  became  an  understood  thing  that 
they  were  very  good  friends.  He  won  her  confidence 
completely,  —  so  far,  indeed,  that  she  used  to  tell 
him  her  troubles,  and  was  ready  to  accept  what  meed 
of  praise  or  friendly  blame  he  might  think  fit  to 
bestow  upon  her. 

It  was  a  few  weeks  after  the  above-recorded  epi 
sode  that  Griffith  arrived  one  afternoon,  in  some  haste, 
with  a  note  from  Dolly  addressed  to  Aimee,  and  con 
taining  a  few  hurried  lines.  It  had  been  enclosed 
in  a  letter  to  himself. 

Somewhat  unexpectedly  Miss  MacDowlas  had 
decided  upon  giving  a  dinner-party,  and  Dolly 
wanted  the  white  merino,  which  she  had  forgotten 
to  put  into  her  trunk  when  she  had  packed  it. 
Would  they  make  a  parcel  of  it  and  send  it  by 
Molli3  to  Brabazon  Lodge  ? 

"  You  will  have  to  go  at  once,  Mollie,"  said  AJmee, 


164  VAGABONDIA. 

after  reading  the  note.  "  It  will  be  dark  in  an  hour, 
and  you  ought  not  to  be  out  after  dark." 

"  It  is  a  great  deal  nicer  to  be  out  then/'  said  Mol- 
lie,  whose  ideas  of  propriety  were  by  no  means  rigid. 
"  I  like  to  see  the  shop  windows  lighted  up.  Where 
is  my  hat  ?  Does  anybody  know  ? "  rising  from  the 
carpet  arid  abandoning  Tod  to  his  own  resources. 

Nobody  did  know,  of  course.  It  was  not  natural 
that  anybody  should.  Hats  and  gloves  and  such 
small  fry  were  generally  left  to  provide  quarters  for 
themselves  in  Bloomsbury  Place. 

"  What  is  the  use  of  bothering  ? "  remarked  Mrs. 
Phil,  disposing  of  the  difficulty  of  their  non-appear 
ance  when  required,  simply ;  "  they  always  turn  up 
in  time."  And  in  like  manner  Mollie's  hat  "  turned 
up,"  and  in  a  few  minutes  she  returned  to  the  parlor, 
tying  the  elastic  under  her  hair. 

"  Your  hair  wants  doing,"  said  Aimee,  having  made 
up  her  parcel. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mollie,  contentedly,  "  Tod  has  been 
pulling  himself  up  by  it;  but  it  would  be  such  a 
trouble  to  do  anything  to  it  just  now,  and  I  can  tuck 
it  back  in  a  bunch.  It  only  looks  a  little  fuzzy,  and 
that 's  fashionable.  Does  this  jacket  look  shabby, 
Airnee  ?  It  is  a  good  thing  it  has  pockets  in  it.  I 
always  did  like  pockets  in  a  jacket,  they  are  so  nice 
to  put  your  hands  in  when  your  gloves  have  holes  in 
them." 


VAGABONDIA.  165 

"Your  gloves  oughtn't  to  have  holes  in  them," 
commented  Aimee. 

"  But  how  can  you  help  it  if  you  have  n't  got  the 
money  to  buy  new  ones  ? "  asked  Mollie. 

"  You  ought  to  raend  them,"  said  the  wise  one. 

"  Mend  them ! "  echoed  Mollie,  regarding  two  or 
three  bare  pink  finger-tips  dubiously.  "They  are 
not  worth  mending." 

"  They  were  once,"  said  Aimee ;  "  and  you  ought 
to  have  stitched  them  before  it  was  too  late.  But 
that  is  always  our  way,"  wrinkling  her  forehead  with 
her  usual  touch  of  old-young  anxiousness.  "  We  are 
not  practical.  There !  take  the  parcel  and  walk 
quickly,  Mollie." 

Once  on  the  street,  Mollie  certainly  obeyed  her. 
With  the  parcel  in  one  arm,  and  with  one  hand 
thrust  into  the  convenient  pocket,  she  hurried  on  her 
way  briskly,  not  even  stopping  once  to  look  at  the 
shop  windows.  Quite  unconscious,  too,  was  she  of 
the  notice  she  excited  among  the  passers-by.  People 
even  turned  to  look  after  her  more  than  once,  as 
indeed  they  often  did.  The  scarlet  scarf  twisted 
round  her  throat  to  hide  the  frayed  jacket  collar,  and 
the  bit  of  scarlet  mixed  with  the  trimmings  of  her 
hat  contrasted  artistically  with  her  brown  eyes,  and 
added  brightness  to  the  color  on  her  cheeks.  It  was 
no  wonder  that  men  and  women  alike,  in  spite  of 
their  business-like  hurry,  found  time  to  glance  at 


166  VAGABOND1A. 

her  and  even  turn  their  heads  over  their  shoulders 
to  look  backward,  as  she  made  her  way  along  the 
pavement. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  she  reached  her  destina 
tion,  and  Brabazon  Lodge  was  brilliantly  lighted  up, 
—  so  brilliantly,  indeed,  that  when  the  heavy  front 
door  was  opened,  in  answer  to  her  ring,  she  was  a 
trifle  dazzled  by  the  flood  of  brightness  in  which 
Dolly's  friend,  the  "  gentleman  at  leisure,"  seemed  to 
stand. 

On  stating  her  errand,  she  was  handed  over  to  a 
female  servant,  who  stood  in  the  hall. 

"  She  was  to  be  harsked  in,"  she  heard  the  footman 
observe,  confidentially,  to  the  young  woman,  "  and 
taken  to  Miss  Crewe's  room  immediate." 

So  she  was  led  up-stairs,  and  ushered  into  a  pretty 
bedroom,  where  she  found  Dolly  sitting  by  the 
fire  in  a  dressing-gown,  with  her  hair  about  her 
shoulders. 

She  jumped  up  the  moment  Mollie  entered,  and 
ran  to  her,  brush  in  hand,  to  kiss  her. 

"  You  are  a  good  child,"  she  said.  "  Come  to  the 
fire  and  sit  down.  Did  you  have  any  trouble  in  find 
ing  the  house  ?  I  was  afraid  you  would.  It  was 
just  like  me  to  forget  the  dress,  and  I  never  missed 
it  until  I  began  to  look  for  it,  wanting  to  wear  it 
to-night.  How  is  Tod  ? " 

"He   has   got   another   tooth,"    said    Mollie     "I 


VAGABOND1A.  167 

found  it  to-day.  Dolly,"  glancing  round,  "  how  nice 
your  room  is  ! " 

''Yes,"  answered  Dolly,  checking  a  sigh,  "but 
don't  sigh  after  the  fleshpots  of  Egypt,  Mollie.  One 
does  n't  see  the  dullest  side  of  life  at  Bloomsbury 
Place,  at  least." 

"  Is  it  dull  here  ? "  asked  Mollie. 

Dolly  shrugged  her  expressive  shoulders. 

"  Berlin-wool  work  is  n't  exciting,"  she  said.  "  How 
did  you  leave  Griffith  ? " 

"  Low-spirited,"  replied  Mollie.  "  I  heard  him  tell 
Airnee  this  afternoon  that  he  could  n't  stand  it  much 
longer." 

Dolly  began  to  brush  her  hair,  and  brushed  it 
very  much  over  her  face,  perhaps  because  she  wished 
to  take  advantage  of  its  shadow ;  for  most  assuredly 
Mollie  caught  sight  of  something  sparkling  amongst 
the  abundant  waves  almost  like  a  drop  of  dew. 

"Dolly,"  she  said  at  last,  breaking  the  awkward 
little  sympathetic  silence  which  naturally  followed, 
" do  you  remember  our  reading  the  'Vicar  of  Wake- 
field'?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Dolly,  in  a  mournful  half-whisper ; 
she  could  not  trust  herself  to  say  more. 

"  And  about  the  family  being  c  up,'  and  then  being 
'  down '  ?  I  always  think  we  are  like  they  were. 
First  it  is  '  the  family  up,'  and  then  '  the  family 
down.'  It  is  down  just  now." 


168  VAGABONDIA. 

"Yes,"  said  Dolly. 

"  It  will  be  ( up '  again,  in  time,"  proceeded  Mollie, 
sagaciously.  "  It  always  is." 

Dolly  tried  to  laugh,  but  her  laugh  was  a  nervous 
little  effort  which  broke  off  in  another  sound  alto 
gether.  Berlin-wool  work  and  Brabazon  Lodge  had 
tried  her  somewhat  and  —  she  wanted  Griffith.  It 
seemed  to  her  just  then  such  a  far  distant  unreal 
Paradise,  —  that  dream  of  the  modest  parlor  with  the 
door  shut  against  the  world,  and  the  green  sofa  drawn 
near  the  fire.  Were  they  ever  to  attain  it,  or  were 
they  to  grow  old  and  tired  out  waiting,  and  hoping 
against  hope  ? 

She  managed  to  rally,  however,  in  a  few  minutes. 
Feeling  discouraged  and  rebellious  was  not  of  much 
use,  —  that  was  one  of  Vagabondia's  earliest  learned 
lessons.  And  what  good  was  there  in  making  Mollie 
miserable  ?  So  she  plucked  up  spirit  and  began 
to  talk,  and,  to  her  credit  be  it  said,  succeeded  in 
being  fairly  amusing,  and  made  Mollie  laugh  outright 
half  a  dozen  times  during  the  remainder  of  her  short 
stay.  It  was  only  a  short  stay,  however.  She  re 
membered  Aimee's  warning  at  last,  and  rose  rather  in 
a  hurry. 

"  I  shall  have  to  walk  quickly  if  I  want  to  get 
home  in  time  for  tea,"  she  said,  "so  good-night,  Dolly 
You  had  better  finish  dressing." 

"  So  I  had,"  answered  Dolly.     "  I  am  behind  time 


VAGABONDIA.  169 

already,  but  I  shall  not  be  many  minutes,  and  Miss 
MacDowlas  is  not  like  Lady  Augusta.  Listen;  I 
believe  I  hear  wheels  at  the  door  now.  It  must  be 
later  than  I  fancied." 

It  was  later  than  she  fancied.  As  Mollie  passed 
through  the  hall  two  gentlemen  who  were  ascending 
the  steps  crossed  her  path,  and,  seeing  the  face  of  one 
who  had  not  appeared  to  notice  her  presence,  she 
started  so  nervously  that  she  dropped  her  glove. 
His  companion — a  handsome,  foreign-looking  man — 
bent  down  and,  picking  it  up,  returned  it  to  her,  with 
a  glance  of  admiring  scrutiny  which  made  her  more 
excited  than  ever.  She  scarcely  had  the  presence  of 
mind  to  thank  him,  but  rushed  past  him  and  out 
into  the  night  in  a  passionate  nutter  of  pain  and 
sudden  childish  anger,  inconsistent  enough. 

"  He  never  saw  me  ! "  she  said  to  herself,  catching 
her  breath  piteously.  "He  is  going  to  see  Dolly.  It 
is  n't  the  party  he  cares  for,  and  it  is  n't  Miss  Mac- 
Dowlas,  —  it  is  nobody  but  Dolly.  He  has  tried  to 
get  an  invitation  just  because  —  because  he  cares  for 
Dolly." 

She  reached  home  in  time  for  tea,  arriving  with  so 
little  breath  and  so  much  burning  color  that  they  all 
stared  at  her,  and  Aimee  asked  her  if  she  had  been 
frightened. 

"  No,"  she  answered,  "  but  I  ran  half  the  way  be 
cause  I  wanted  to  be  in  time." 


170  VAGABONDIA. 

She  did  not  talk  at  tea,  and  scarcely  ate  anything, 
and  when  Griffith  came  in,  at  about  nine  o'clock,  he 
found  her  lying  on  the  sofa,  flushed  and  silent.  She 
said  she  had  a  headache. 

"  I  took  Dolly  her  dress/'  she  said.  "  They  are 
having  a  grand  party  and  —  Does  Miss  MacDowlas 
know  Mr.  Gowan,  Griffith  ? " 

Griffith  started  and  changed  countenance  at  once. 

"  No,"  he  answered.     "  Why  ? " 

"  He  was  there,"  she  said,  listlessly.  "  I  met  him 
in  the  hall  as  I  came  out,  hut  he  did  not  see  me. 
He  must  have  tried  to  get  an  invitation  because  — 
well,  you  know  how  he  likes  Dolly." 

And  thus,  the  train  having  been  already  laid,  was 
the  spark  applied. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   BEGINNING   OF   THE   ENDING. 

IT  was  some  time  before  Griffith  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  this  simple  announcement  of  Mol- 
lie's.  Though  he  scarcely  confessed  as  much  to  him 
self,  he  thought  of  it  very  much  often er  than  was 
conducive  to  his  own  peace  of  mind,  and  in  thinking 
of  it  he  found  it  assuming  a  greater  importance  and 
significance  than  he  had  at  first  recognized  in  it,  and 
was  influenced  accordingly.  He  went  home  to  his 
lodgings,  depressed  and  heavy  of  spirit ;  in  fact,  he 
left  Bloomsbury  Place  earlier  than  usual,  because  he 
longed  to  be  alone.  He  could  think  of  nothing  but 
Dolly,  —  Dolly  in  the  white  merino,  shining  like  a 
stray  star  among  her  employer's  guests,  and  gladden 
ing  the  eyes  of  Ralph  Gowan.  He  knew  so  well 
how  she  would  look,  and  how  this  fellow  wTould  follow 
her  in  his  easy  fashion,  without  rendering  himself 
noticeable,  and  manage  to  be  near  her  through  the 
evening  and  hold  his  place  as  if  he  had  a  right  to  it, 
and  he  knew,  too,  how  natural  it  would  be  for  Dolly's 
eyes  to  light  up  in  her  pleasure  at  being  saved  from 


172  VAGABONDIA. 

boredom,  and  how  her  innocent  gladness  would  show 
itself  in  a  score  of  pretty  ways.  And  it  was  as 
Mollie  said,  —  it  was  for  Dolly's  sake  that  Ealph 
Gowan  was  there  to-night. 

"  She  must  know  that  it  is  so  herself,"  he  groaned, 
dropping  his  head  upon  the  table ;  "  but  she  cannot 
help  it.  She  would  if  she  could.  Yes,  I  '11  believe 
that.  She  could  never  be  false  to  me.  I  must  hold 
fast  to  that  in  spite  of  everything.  I  should  go  mad 
if  I  did  n't.  I  could  never  lose  you,  Dolly, —  I  could 
never  lose  you  !  " 

But  he  groaned  again  the  next  moment  from  the 
bottom  of  his  desperate  heart.  He  had  become  tan 
gled  in  yet  another  web  of  misery. 

"  It  is  only  another  proof  of  what  I  have  said  a 
thousand  times,"  he  cried  out.  "  My  claim  upon  her 
is  so  weak,  that  this  fellow  does  not  think  it  worth 
regarding.  He  thinks  it  may  be  set  aside,  —  they 
all  think  it  may  be  set  aside.  I  should  not  wonder," 
clenching  his  hand  and  speaking  through  his  teeth,  — 
"  I  should  not  wonder  if  he  has  laughed  many  a  time 
at  his  fancy  of  how  it  will  end,  and  how  easy  it  will 
be  to  thrust  the  old  love  to  the  wall ! " 

At  this  moment,  in  the  first  rankling  sting  of 
humiliation  and  despair,  he  could  almost  have  struck 
a  murderous  blow  at  the  man  whom  fortune  had  set 
on  such  a  pinnacle  of  pride  and  insolence,  as  it 
seemed  to  his  galled  fancy.  He  was  not  in  the  mood 


VAGABONDIA.  173 

to  be  either  just  or  generous,  and  he  saw  in  Ralph 
Gowan  n  Dthing  but  a  man  who  had  both  the  power 
and  will  to  rival  him,  and  rob  him  of  peace  and  hope 
forever.  If  Dolly  had  been  with  him,  in  all  proba 
bility  his  wretchedness  would  have  evaporated  in  a 
harmless  outburst,  which  would  have  touched  the 
girl's  heart  so  tenderly  that  she  would  have  withheld 
nothing  of  love  and  consolation  which  could  reassure 
him,  and  so  in  the  end  the  tempest  would  have  left 
no  wound  behind.  But  as  it  was  left  to  himself  and 
his  imaginings,  every  thought  held  its  bitter  sting. 
He  was,  as  it  were,  upon  the  brink  of  an  abyss. 

And  while  this  danger  was  threatening  her,  Dolly 
was  setting  herself  steadfastly  to  her  task  of  enter 
taining  her  employer's  guests,  though  it  must  be  con 
fessed  that  she  found  it  necessary  to  summon  all  her 
energies.  She  was  thinking  of  Griffith,  but  not  as 
Griffith  was  thinking  of  her.  She  was  picturing  him 
looking  desolate  among  the  group  round  the  fire  at 
Bloomsbury  Place,  or  else  working  desperately  and 
with  unnecessary  energy  amidst  the  dust  and  gloom 
of  the  dimly  lighted  office ;  and  the  result  was  that 
her  spirit  almost  failed.  It  was  quite  a  relief  to  en 
counter  Ralph  Gowan,  as  she  did,  on  entering  the 
room  :  he  had  seen  them  all  latterly,  and  could  enter 
into  particulars ;  and  so,  in  her  pleasure,  it  must  be 
owned  that  her  face  brightened,  just  as  Griffith  had 
fancied  it  would,  when  she  shook  hands  with  him. 


174  VAGABONDIA. 

"  I  did  not  hear  that  you  were  coming,"  she  said 
"  How  glad  I  am  ! "  which  was  the  most  dangerous 
speech  she  could  have  made  under  the  circumstances, 
since  it  was  purely  on  her  account  that  he  had  diplo 
matized  to  obtain  the  invitation. 

He  did  not  find  it  easy  to  release  her  hand  all  at 
once,  and  certainly  he  lighted  up  also. 

"  Will  you  let  me  tell  you  that  it  was  not  Miss 
MacDowlas  who  brought  me  here  ?  "  he,  said,  in  a  low 
voice ;  "  though  I  appreciate  her  kindness,  as  a  grate 
ful  man  ought.  Vagabondia  is  desolate  without  you." 

She  tried  to  laugh,  but  could  not;  her  attempt  broke 
off  in  the  unconscious  sigh,  which  always  touched 
him,  he  scarcely  knew  why. 

"  Is  it  ?  "  she  said,  looking  up  at  l^im  without  a  bit 
of  the  old  brightness.  "  Don't  tell  them,  Mr.  Gowan, 
but  the  fact  is  I  am  desolate  •  without  it.  I  want  to 
go  home." 

He  felt  his  heart  leap  suddenly,  and  before  he  could 
check  himself  he  spoke. 

" I  wish  —  I  wish"  he  said,  "  that  you  would  let 
me  take  you  home."  And  the  simply  sounding 
words  embodied  a  great  deal  more  of  tender  fancy 
than  a  careless  observer  would  have  imagined ;  and 
Dolly,  recognizing  the  thrill  in  his  voice,  was  half 
startled. 

But  she  shook  her  head,  and  managed  to  smile. 

"  That  is  not  wisdom,"  she  said.     "  It  savors  of  the 


VAGABONDIA.  175 

lilies  of  the  field.  We  cannot  quarrel  with  our  bread 
and  butter  for  sentiment's  sake  in  Vagabondia.  Did 
you  know  that  Mollie  had  paid  me  a  visit  this  even 
ing  ?  —  or  perhaps  you  saw  her ;  I  think  she  went 
out  as  you  came  in." 

"  Mollie  ! "  he  said,  surprisedly  ;  and  then  looking 
half  annoyed,  or  at  least  a  trifle  disturbed,  he  added, 
as  if  a  sudden  thought  had  occurred  to  him,  "  then  it 
was  Mollie,  Chandos  spoke  of." 

"  Chandos  !  "  echoed  Dolly.  "  Who  is  Chandos  — 
and  what  did  Chandos  say  about  Mollie  ? " 

He  glanced  across  the  room  to  where  a  tall,  hand 
some  man  was  bending  over  a  fussy  little  woman  in 
pink. 

"  That  is  Chandos,"  he  said ;  "  and  since  you  spoke 
of  Mollie's  visit,  I  recollect  that,  as  we  came  into  the 
house,  Chandos  was  behind  me  and  lingered  a  mo 
ment  or  so,  and  when  he  came  to  me  afterward  he 
asked  if  I  had  seen  the  face  that  passed  us  as  we  en 
tered.  It  had  roused  his  enthusiasm  as  far  as  it  can 
be  roused  by  anything." 

"  It   must   have  been  Mollie,"  commented  Dolly, 
and  she  looked  at  the  man  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
room,  uneasily.     "  Is   he   a   friend   of  yours  ? "   she 
asked,  after  scrutinizing  him  for  a  few  seconds, 
c    Gowan  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Not  a  friend,"  he  answered,  dryly.  "An  ac 
quaintance.  We  have  not  much  in  common." 


176  VAGABONDIA, 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  was  Dolly's  return.  "I 
don't  like  Chandos." 

She  could  not  have  explained  why  she  did  not  like 
him,  but  certainly  she  was  vaguely  repelled  and 
could  not  help  hoping  that  he  would  never  see  Mollie 
again.  He  was  just  the  man  to  be  dangerous  to  Mol 
lie  ;  handsome,  polished,  ready  of  speech  and  perfect 
in  manner,  he  was  the  sort  of  man  to  dazzle  and  flat 
ter  any  ignorant,  believing  child. 

"  Oh ! "  she  exclaimed,  half  aloud,  "  I  could  not 
bear  to  think  that  he  would  see  her  again." 

She  uttered  the  words  quite  involuntarily,  but 
Gowan  heard  them,  and  looked  at  her  in  some  sur 
prise,  and  so  awakened  her  from  her  reverie. 

"  Are  you  speaking  of  Mollie  ? "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  candidly,  "  though  I  did  not 
mean  to  speak  aloud.  My  thoughts  were  only  a 
mental  echo  of  the  remark  I  made  a  moment  ago,  — • 
that  I  don't  like  Chandos.  I  do  not  like  him  at  all, 
even  at  this  distance,  and  I  cannot  resist  feeling  that 
I  do  not  want  him  to  see  anything  more  of  Mollie. 
We  are  not  very  discreet,  we  Vagabonds,  but  we 
must  learn  wisdom  enough  to  shield  Mollie."  And 
she  sighed  again. 

"  I  understand  that,"  he  said,  almost  tenderly,  so 
sympathetically,  in  fact,  that  she  turned  toward  him 
as  if  moved  by  a  sudden  impulse. 

"I   have   sometimes  thought  since  I  came  here." 


VAGARONDIA.  177 

she  said,  "  that  perhaps  you  might  help  me  a  little,  if 
you  would.  She  is  so  pretty,  you  see,  and  so  young, 
and,  through  knowing  so  little  of  the  world  and  long 
ing  to  know  so  much,  in  a  childish,  half-dazzled  way, 
is  so  innocently  wilful  that  she  would  succumb  to  a 
novel  influence  more  readily  than  to  an  old  one.  So 
I  have  thought  once  or  twice  of  asking  you  to  watch 
her  a  little,  and  guard  her  if  —  if  you  should  ever  see 
her  in  danger." 

"  I  can  promise  to  do  that  much,  at  least,"  he  re 
turned,  smiling. 

She  held  out  her  hand  impetuously,  just  as  she 
would  have  held  it  out  to  Griffith,  and,  oh,  the  hazard 
of  it,  —  the  hazard  of  so  throwing  aside  her  mock  airs 
and  graces,  and  showing  herself  to  him  just  as  she 
showed  herself  to  the  man  she  loved,  —  the  Dolly 
whose  heart  was  on  her  lips  and  whose  soul  was  in 
her  eyes. 

"  Then  we  will  make  a  '  paction'  of  it,"  she  said. 
"  You  will  help  me  to  take  care  of  her." 

"  For  your  sake,"  he  said,  "  there  are  few  things  I 
would  not  do." 

So  from  that  time  forward  he  fell  into  the  habit  of 
regarding  unsuspecting  Mollie  as  his  own  special 
charge.  He  was  so  faithful  to  his  agreement,  indeed, 
that  once  or  twice  Griffith  was  almost  ready  to  con 
sole  himself  with  the  thought  that  perhaps,  after  call, 
the  child's  beauty  and  tractability  would  win  its  way, 

12 


ITS  VAGABOND1A. 

and  Gowan  would  find  himself  seriously  touched  at 
heart.  Just  now  he  could  see  that  his  manner  was 
scarcely  that  of  a  lover,  but  there  most  assuredly  was 
a  probability  that  it  might  alter  and  become  more 
warm  and  less  friendly  and  platonic.  As  to  Mollie 
herself,  she  was  growing  a  trifle  incomprehensible ; 
she  paid  more  attention  to  her  lovely  hair  than 
she  had  been  in  the  habit  of  doing,  and  was  even 
known  to  mend  her  gloves :  she  began  to  be  more 
conscious  of  the  dignity  of  her  seventeen  years.  She 
complained  less  petulantly  of  the  attentions  of  Phil's 
friends,  and  accepted  them  with  a  better  grace.  The 
wise  one  even  observed  that  she  tolerated  Brown,  the 
obnoxious,  and  permitted  him  to  admire  her  —  at  a 
distance.  In  her  intercourse  with  Gowan  she  was 
capricious  and  had  her  moods.  Sometimes  she  in 
dulged  in  the  weakness  of  tiring  herself  in  all  her  small 
bravery  when  he  was  coming,  and  presented  herself  in 
the  parlor  beauteous  and  flushed  and  conscious,  and 
was  so  delectably  shy  and  sweet  that  she  betrayed 
him  into  numerous  trifling  follies  not  at  all  consistent 
with  his  high  position  of  mentor ;  and  then,  again,  she 
was  obstinate,  rather  incomprehensible,  and  did  not 
adorn  herself  at  all,  and,  indeed,  was  hard  enough  to 
manage. 

"  You  are  growing  very  queer,  Mollie,"  said  Miss 
Aimee,  wonderingly. 

To  which  sage  remark  Mollie  retorted  with  a  tremu- 


VAGABONDIA.  179 

lous,  sensitive  flush,  and  most  unnecessary  warmth 
of  manner. 

"  I  'm  not  queer  at  all.  I  wish  you  would  n't  bother 
so,  Aimee  ! " 

That  very  afternoon  she  came  into  the  room  with 
a  card  in  her  hand,  after  going  out  to  answer  a  sum 
mons  at  the  door-bell. 

"  Phil,"  she  said,  "  a  gentleman  wants  you.  Chan- 
dos,  the  card  says." 

"  Chandos ! "  read  Phil,  rising  from  the  comfort  of 
his  couch,  and  taking  his  pipe  out  of  his  mouth. 
"  Who  knows  Chandos  ?  —  I  don't.  It  must  be  some 
fellow  on  business." 

And  so  it  proved.  He  found  the  gentleman  await 
ing  him  in  the  next  room,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
learned  his  errand.  Chandos  introduced  himself — 
Gerald  Chandos,  of  The  Pools,  Bedfordshire,  who, 
hearing  of  Mr.  Crewe  through  numerous  friends,  not 
specified,  and  having  a  fancy  —  quite  the  fancy  of  an 
uncultured  amateur,  modestly  —  for  pictures  and  an 
absorbing  passion  for  art  in  all  its  forms,  had  taken 
the  liberty  of  calling,  etc.  It  was  very  smoothly 
said,  and  Chandos,  of  The  Pools,  being  an  imposing 
patrician  sort  of  individual,  and  free  from  all  fopperies 
or  affectations,  Phil  met  his  advances  complacently 
enough.  It  was  no  unusual  thing  for  an  occasional 
patron  to  drop  in  after  this  manner.  He  had  no  fault 
to  find  with  a  man  who,  having  the  good  fortune  to 


180  VAGABONDIA. 

possess  money,  had  the  good  taste  to  know  how  to 
spend  it.  So  he  made  friends  with  Chandos,  pretty 
much  as  he  had  made  friends  with  Gowan,  —  pretty 
much  as  he  would  have  made  friends  with  any  other 
sufficiently  amiable  and  well-bred  visitor  to  his  mod 
est  studio.  He  showed  him  his  pictures,  and  talked 
art  to  him,  and  managed  to  spend  an  hour  very  pleas 
antly,  ending  by  selling  him  a  couple  of  tiny  spirited 
sketches,  which  had  taken  his  fancy.  It  was  when 
he  was  taking  down  these  sketches  from  the  wall  that 
he  heard  a  sort  of  smothered  exclamation  from  the 
man,  who  stood  a  few  feet  apart  from  him,  and,  turn 
ing  to  see  what  it  meant,  he  saw  that  he  had  just  dis 
covered  the  fresh,  lovely,  black-hooded  head,  with  the 
trail  of  autumn  leaves  clinging  to  the  loose  trail  of 
hair, — the  picture  for  which  Mollie  had  sat  as  model. 
It  was  very  evident  that  Chandos,  of  The  Pools,  was 
admiring  it. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  he,  the  next  minute.  "  I  know  this 
face.  There  can  scarcely  be  two  faces  like  it." 

Phil  left  his  sketches  and  came  to  him,  the  pleasure 
he  felt  on  the  success  of  his  creation  warming  him 
up.  This  picture,  with  Mollie's  face  and  head,  was  a 
great  favorite  of  his. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  standing  opposite  to  it,  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  and  critical  appreciation  in 
his  eyes.  "You  could  not  very  well  mistake  it. 
Heads  are  not  my  exact  forte,  you  know ;  but  that 


VAGABONDIA.  181 

is  Mollie  to  a  tint  and  a  curve,  and  I  am  rather 
proud  of  it." 

Chandos  regarded  it  steadfastly. 

"  And  well  you  may  be,"  he  answered.  "  Your  sis 
ter,  I  believe  ? " 

"  Mollie  ! "  exclaimed  Phil,  stepping  a  trifle  aside, 
to  get  into  a  better  light,  and  speaking  almost  ab 
stractedly.  "  Oh,  yes,  to  be  sure  !  She  is  my  sister, 
—  the  youngest.  There  are  three  of  them.  That 
flesh  tint  is  one  of  the  best  points." 

And  in  the  meantime,  while  this  apparently  trivial 
conversation  was  being  carried  on  in  the  studio,  Mol 
lie,  in  the  parlor,  had  settled  herself  upon  a  stool 
close  to  the  fire,  and,  resting  her  chin  on  her  hand  and 
her  elbow  on  her  knee,  was  looking  reflective. 

"  That  Chandos  is  somebody  new/'  'Toinette  re 
marked.  "  I  hope  he  has  come  to  buy  something. 
I  want  some  gold  sleeve-loops  for  Tod.  I  saw  some 
beauties  the  other  day,  when  I  was  out." 

"  But  you  could  n't  afford  them  if  Phil  sold  two 
pictures  instead  of  one,"  said  Aimee.  "  There  are  so 
many  other  useful  things  you  need." 

"  He  is  n't  a  stranger  to  me,"  put  in  Mollie,  sud 
denly.  "  I  have  seen  him  before." 

"  Who  ? "  said  'Toinette.  She  was  thinking  more 
of  Tod's  gold  sleeve-loops  than  of  anything  else. 

"  This  Mr.  Chandos,"  answered  Mollie,  without 
looking  up  from  the  fire.  "  I  saw  him  at  Brabazon 


182  VAGABOND1A. 

Lodge  the  night  I  went  to  take  Dol  her  dress.  He 
was  with  Mr.  Gowan,  and  I  dropped  my  glove,  and  he 
picked  it  up  for  me.  I  was  coming  out  as  they  were 
going  in." 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Aimee,  "  whether  Mr.  Gowan 
goes  to  Brabazon  Lodge  often  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,  I  'm  sure,"  answered  Mollie,  shrug 
ging  her  shoulder.  "  How  is  one  to  learn  ?  He 
would  n't  be  likely  to  tell  us.  I  should  think,  though, 
that  he  does.  He  is  too  fond  of  Dolly  "  —  with  a 
slight  choke  in  her  voice  —  "  to  stay  away,  if  he  can 
help  it." 

"  It 's  queer,"  commented  'Toinette,  "  how  men  like 
Dolly.  She  is  n't  a  beauty,  I  'm  sure ;  and  for  the 
matter  of  that,  when  her  hair  is  n't  done  up  right,  she 
is  n't  even  pretty." 

"It  isn't  queer,  at  all,"  said  Mollie,  rather  crossly; 
"  it 's  her  way.  She  can  make  such  a  deal  out  of  noth 
ing,  and  she  does  n't  stand  at  trouble  when  she  wants 
to  make  people  like  her.  She  says  any  one  can  do  it, 
and  it  is  only  a  question  of  patience ;  but  I  don't  be 
lieve  her.  See  how  frantic  Griffith  is  about  her.  He 
is  more  desperately  in  love  with  her  to-day  than  he 
was  at  the  very  first,  seven  years  ago." 

"And  she  cares  more  for  him,  I'm  sure,"  said 
Aimee. 

Mollie's  shoulder  went  up  again.  "  She  flirts  with 
people  enough,  if  she  does,"  she  commented. 


VAGABONDIA.  133 

"Ah!"  returned  Aimce,  "that  is  'her  way,'  as  you 
call  it,  again.  Somehow,  it  seems  as  if  she  can't  help 
it.  It  is  as  natural  to  her  as  the  color  of  her  hair 
and  eyes.  She  can't  help  doing  odd  things  and  mak 
ing  speeches  that  rouse  people  and  tempt  them  into 
liking  her.  She  has  done  such  things  all  her  life, 
and  sometimes  I  think  she  will  do  them  even  when 
she  is  an  old  woman ;  though,  of  course,  she  will  do 
them  in  a  different  way.  Dolly  would  n't  be  Dolly 
without  her  whimsicalness,  any  more  than  Dick  there, 
in  his  cage,  would  be  a  canary  if  he  did  n't  twitter 
and  sing." 

"  Does  she  ever  do  such  things  to  women  ? "  asked 
Miss  Mollie,  shrewdly.  She  seemed  to  be  in  a  sin 
gular  mood  this  afternoon. 

"  Yes,"  Ainiee  protested,  "  she  does ;  and  what  is 
more,  she  is  not  different  even  with  children.  I  have 
seen  her  take  just  as  much  trouble  to  please  Phemie 
and  the  little  Bilberrys  as  she  would  take  to  please 
Griffith  or — or  Mr.  Go  wan.  And  see  how  fond  they 
were  of  her.  If  she  had  cared  for  nothing  but  mas 
culine  admiration,  do  you  think  Phemie  would  have 
adored  her  as  she  did,  and  those  dull  children  would 
have  been  so  desolate  when  she  left  them  ?  No,  I 
tell  you.  Dolly's  weakness  —  and  it  is  n't  such  a 
very  terrible  weakness,  after  all  —  lies  in  wanting 
everybody  to  like  her,  —  men,  women,  and  children  ; 
yes,  down  to  babies  and  dogs  and  cats.  And  see 


184  VAGABONDIA. 

here,  Mollie,  ain't  we  rather  fond  of  her  our 
selves  ? " 

"  Yes,"  owned  Mollie,  staring  at  the  fire,  "  we  are. 
Fond  enough." 

"  And  is  n't  she  rather  fond  of  us  ? " 

"  Yes,  she  is  —  for  the  matter  of  that,"  acquiesced 
Mollie. 

"Yes,"  began  'Toinette,  and  then,  the  sound  of  foot 
steps  upon  the  staircase  interrupting  her,  she  broke 
off  abruptly  to  listen.  "  It  is  Phil's  visitor,"  she  said. 

Mollie  got  up  from  her  seat,  roused  into  a  lazy 
sort  of  interest. 

"  I  am  going  to  look  at  him,"  she  said,  and  went 
to  the  window. 

The  next  minute  she  drew  back,  blushing. 

"  He  saw  me,"  she  said.  "  I  did  n't  think  he  could, 
if  I  stood  here  in  the  corner." 

But  he  had  ;  and  more  than  that,  in  his  admiration 
of  her  dimples  and  round  fire-flushed  cheeks,  had 
smiled  into  her  face,  openly  and  without  stint,  as  he 
passed. 

After  tea  Gowan  came  in.  Mollie  opened  the  door 
for  him ;  and  Mollie,  in  a  soft  blue  dress,  and  with 
her  hair  dressed  to  a  marvel,  was  a  vision  to  have 
touched  any  man's  fancy.  She  was  in  one  of  her 
sweet  acquiescent  moods,  too,  having  recovered  her 
self  since  the  afternoon ;  and  when  she  led  him 
Into  the  parlor,  she  blushed  without  any  reason 


VAGABONDIA.  185 

whatever,  as  usual,  and  as  a  consequence  looked 
enchanting. 

"  Phil  has  gone  out,"  she  said.  "  'Toinette  is  put 
ting  Tod  to  bed,  and  Aimee  is  helping  her ;  so  there 
is  no  one  here  but  me." 

Go  wan  sat  down  —  in  Dolly's  favorite  chair. 

"  You  are  quite  enough,"  he  said;  "  quite  enough — • 
for  me." 

She  turned  away,  making  a  transparent  little  pre 
tence  of  requiring  a  hand-screen  from  the  mantel 
piece,  and,  having  got  it,  she  too  sat  down,  and  fell  to 
examining  a  wretched  little  daub  of  a  picture  upon 
it  most  minutely. 

"This  is  very  badly  done,"  she  observed,  irrelevantly. 
"Dolly  did  it,  and  made  it  up  elaborately  into  this 
screen  because  it  was  such  a  sight.  It  is  just  like 
Dolly,  to  make  fun  and  joke  at  her  own  mistakes. 
She  has  n't  a  particle  of  talent  for  drawing.  She  did 
this  once  when  Griffith  thought  he  was  going  to  get 
into  something  that  would  bring  him  money  enough 
to  allow  of  their  being  married.  She  made  a  whole 
lot  of  little  mats  and  things  to  put  in  their  house 
when  they  got  it,  but  Griffith  did  n't  get  the  position, 
so  they  had  to  settle  down  again." 

"  Good  Heavens  ! "  ejaculated  Go  wan. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  she  asked. 

He  moved  a  trifle  uneasily  in  his  chair.  He  had 
not  meant  to  speak  aloud. 


186  VAGABONDIA. 

"  An  unintentional  outburst,  Mollie,"  he  said  "  A 
cheerful  state  of  affairs,  that." 

"  What  state  of  affairs  ? "  she  inquired.  "  Oh,  you 
mean  Dolly's  engagement.  Well,  of  course,  it  has 
been  a  long  one ;  but  then,  you  see,  they  like  each 
other  very  much.  Aimee  was  only  saying  this  after 
noon  that  they  cared  for  each  other  more  now  than 
they  did  at  first." 

"Do  they?"  said  Go  wan,  and  for  the  time  being 
lapsed  into  silence. 

"  It 's  a  cross-grained  sort  of  fortune  that  seems  to 
control  us  in  this  world,  Mollie,"  he  said,  at  length. 

Mollie  stared  at  the  poor  little  daub  on  her  hand- 
screen  and  met  his  philosophy  indifferently  enough. 

"  You  ought  n't  to  say  so,"  she  answered.  "  And  1 
don't  know  anything  about  it." 

He  laughed  —  quite  savagely  for  so  amiable  a  young 
man. 

"I ! "  he  repeated.  "  I  ought  not  to  say  so,  ought  n't 
I  ?  I  think  I  ought.  It  is  a  cross-grained  fortune, 
Mollie.  We  are  always  falling  in  love  with  people 
who  do  not  care  for  us,  or  with  people  who  care  for 
some  one  else,  or  with  people  who  are  too  poor  to 
marry  us,  or  —  " 

"  Speak  for  yourself,"  said  Mollie,  with  a  vigor  quite 
wonderful  and  new  in  her.  "  /  am  not." 

And  she  held  her  screen  up  between  her  face  and 
his,  so  that  he  could  not  see  her.  She  could  have 


VAGABONDIA.  187 

burst  into  a  passionate  gush  of  tears.  It  was  Dolly 
he  was  thinking  about,  —  it  was  Dolly  who  had  the 
power  to  make  him  unhappy  and  sardonic,  —  always 
Dolly. 

"  Then  you  are  a  wise  child,  Mollie,"  he  said.  "  But 
you  are  a  very  young  child  yet,  —  only  seventeen,  is  n't 
it  ?  Well,  it  may  all  come  in  good  time." 

"  It  will  not  come  at  all,"  she  asserted,  stubbornly. 

Dolly's  little  wretch  of  a  hand-screen  was  quite 
trembling  in  her  hand,  it  made  her  so  desperate  to 
feel,  as  she  did,  that  she  was  of  such  small  consequence 
to  him  that  he  could  treat  her  as  a  child,  and  make 
a  sort  of  joke  of  his  confidence.  But  he  did  not 
see  it. 

"  Ah  !  well,  you  see,"  he  went  on,  "  I  thought  so 
once,  but  it  has  come  to  me  nevertheless.  The  fact 
is,  I  am  crying  for  the  moon,  Mollie,  as  many  a  wiser 
and  better  man  has  done  before  me." 

She  did  not  answer,  so  he  rose  and  walked  once  or 
twice  across  the  room.  When  he  came  back  to  the 
fire,  she  had  risen  too,  and  was  standing  up,  biting 
the  edge  of  her  screen,  all  flushed,  and  with  a  bright 
ness  in  her  eyes  he  did  not  understand.  Poor  little 
soul !  she  was  suffering  very  sharply  in  her  childish 
way. 

He  laid  a  hand  on  either  of  her  shoulders,  and  spoke 
to  her  gently  enough. 

"  Mollie,"  he  said,  "  let  us  sit  down  together  and 


188  VAGABONDIA. 

condole  with  each  other.  You  are  not  in  a  good  hu 
mor  to-night,  something  has  rasped  you  again  ;  and  as 
for  me,  I  am  about  as  miserable,  my  dear,  as  it  is  pos 
sible  for  a  man  with  a  few  thousand  a  year  to  be." 

She  tried  to  answer  him  steadily,  and,  finding  she 
could  not,  rushed  into  novel  subterfuge.  Subterfuge 
was  a  novelty  to  Mollie. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  lifting  the  most  beauteous  of  tear- 
wet  eyes  to  his  quite  eagerly.  "  Yes,  I  am  crossed, 
and  —  and  something  has  vexed  me.  I  am  getting 
bad-tempered,  I  think.  Suppose  we  do  sit  down." 

And  then  when  they  did  sit  down  —  she  on  the 
hearth-rug  at  his  feet,  he  in  Dolly's  chair  again  — 
she  broke  out  upon  him  in  a  voice  like  a  sharp  little 
sob. 

"  I  know  what  you  are  miserable  about,"  she  said. 
"  You  are  miserable  about  Dolly." 

They  had  never  spoken  about  the  matter  openly 
before,  though  he  had  always  felt  that  if  he  could 
speak  openly  to  any  one,  he  could  to  this  charming 
charge  of  his.  Such  is  the  keenness  of  masculine 
penetration.  And  now  he  felt  almost  relieved  al 
ready.  The  natural  craving  for  sympathy  of  some 
kind  or  other  was  to  satisfy  itself  through  the 
medium  of  pretty,  much-tried  Mollie. 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  half  desperately,  half  reluc 
tantly.  "  Dolly  is  the  moon  I  am  crying  for,  —  or 
rather,  as  I  might  put  it  more  poetically,  '  the  bright 


VAGABONDIA.  189 

particular  star.'  What  a  good  little  thing  you  are  to 
guess  at  it  so  soon ! " 

"  It  did  n't  need  much  guessing  at,"  she  said, 
curving  her  innocent  mouth  in  a  piteous  effort  to 
smile. 

He,  leaning  against  the  round,  padded  back  of  his 
chair,  sighed,  and  as  he  sighed  almost  forgot  the  poor 
child  altogether,  even  while  she  spoke  to  him. 
Having  all  things  else,  he  must  still  cry  for  this  one 
other  gift,  and  really  he  felt  very  dolorous. 

Mollie,  pulling  her  screen  to  pieces,  looked  at  him 
with  a  heavy  yet  adoring  heart.  She  was  young 
enough  to  be  greatly  moved  by  his  physical  beauty, 
and  just  now  she  could  not  turn  away  from  him. 
His  long-limbed,  slender  figure  (which,  while  still 
graceful  and  lithe  enough,  was  not  a  model  of  per 
fection,  as  she  fondly  imagined),  his  pale,  dark  face, 
his  dark  eyes,  even  his  rather  impolite  and  uncompli 
mentary  abstraction,  held  fascination  for  her.  Not 
having  been  greatly  smiled  upon  by  fortune,  she  had 
fallen  to  longing  eagerly  and  fearfully  for  this  one 
gift  which  had  been  so  freely  vouchsafed  to  Dolly, 
who  had  neither  asked  nor  cared  for  it.  Surely  there 
was  some  cross-grained  fate  at  work. 

She  was  very  quiet  indeed  when  he  at  length 
recollected  himself  and  roused  from  his  reverie.  He 
looked  up  to  find  her  resting  her  warm,  rose-leaf 
colored  cheek  on  her  hand,  and  concentrating  all  her 


190  VAGABONDIA. 

attention  upon  the  fire  again.  She  was  not  inclined 
to  talk  when  he  spoke  to  her,  and  indeed  had  so  far 
shrunk  within  herself  that  he  found  it  necessary  to 
exert  his  powers  to  their  utmost  before  he  could 
move  her  to  anything  like  interest  in  their  usual 
topics  of  conversation.  In  fact,  her  reserve  entailed 
the  necessity  of  a  little  hazardous  warmth  of  manner 
being  exhibited  on  his  part,  and  in  the  end  a  few  more 
dangerous,  though  half-jocular,  speeches  were  made, 
and  in  spite  of  the  temporary  dissatisfaction  of  his 
previous  mood,  he  felt  a  trifle  reluctant  to  leave  the 
fire  and  the  sweet,  unwise  face  when  the  time  came 
to  go. 

"  Good-night,"  he  said  to  her,  a  few  minutes  before 
he  went  out.  And  then,  noticing  for  the  twentieth 
time  how  becoming  the  soft  blue  of  her  dress  was 
and  how  picturesque  she  was  herself  even  in  the 
unconsciousness  of  her  posture,  he  was  tempted  to 
try  to  bring  that  little,  half-resentful  glow  into  her 
upraised  eyes  again. 

"  I  have  often  heard  your  sister  make  indiscreetly 
amiable  speeches  to  you,  Mollie,"  he  said.  "  Did  she 
ever  tell  you  that  you  ought  to  have  been  born  a 
sultana  ? " 

She  shook  her  head  and  pouted  a  little. 

"  I  should  n't  like  to  be  a  sultana,"  she  said. 

"  What ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  Not  a  sultana  in  span 
gled  slippers  and  gorgeous  robes  ! " 


VAGABONDIA.  191 

"  No,"  she  answered,  with  a  spice  of  Dolly  in  her 
speech.  "  The  slippers  are  great  flat  things  that  turn 
up  at  the  toes,  and  the  sultan  might  buy  me  for  so 
much  a  pound,  and  —  arid  I  care  for  other  things 
besides  dress." 

"Nevertheless,"  he  returned,  "you  would  have 
made  a  dazzling  sultana." 

Then  he  went  away  and  left  her,  and  she  sat  down 
upon  her  stool  before  the  fire  again  and  began  to  pull 
her  hair  down  and  let  it  hang  in  grand  disorder  about 
her  shoulders  and  over  her  face.  • 

"  If  I  am  so  —  so  pretty,"  she  said  slowly,  to  her 
self,  "  people  ought  to  like  me,  and,"  sagaciously,  "  I 
must  be  pretty  or  he  would  not  say  so." 

And  when  she  went  to  her  room  it  must  be  con 
fessed  that  she  crept  to  the  glass  and  stared  at  the 
reflection  of  the  face  framed  in  the  abundant,  falling 
hair,  until  Aimee,  wondering  at  her  quietness,  raised 
her  head  from  her  pillow,  and,  seeing  her,  called  her 
to  her  senses. 

"  Mollie,"  she  said,  in  her  quietest  way,  "  you  look 
very  nice,  my  dear,  and  very  picturesque,  and  I  don't 
wonder  at  your  admiring  yourself ;  but  if  you  stand 
there  much  longer  in  your  bare  feet  you  will  have 
influenza,  and  then  you  will  have  to  wear  a  flannel 
round  your  throat,  and  your  nose  will  be  red,  and  you 
won't  derive  much  satisfaction  from  your  looking- 
glass  for  a  week  to  come." 


CHAPTEE   IX. 

IN   WHICH  WE  ARE  UNORTHODOX. 

OMETHING,"  announced  Phil,  painting  away 
industriously  at  his  picture,  —  "something  is 
up  with  Grif.  Can-  any  of  you  explain  what  it  is  ? " 

Mollie,  resting  her  elbows  on  the  window-ledge, 
turned  her  head  over  her  shoulder ;  Toinette,  tying 
Tod's  sleeves  with  red  ribbon,  looked  up  ;  Aimee  went 
on  with  her  sewing,  the  two  little  straight  lines 
making  themselves  visible  on  her  forehead  between 
her  eyebrows.  The  fact  of  something  being  "  up " 
with  any  one  of  their  circle  was  enough  to  create  a 
wondering  interest. 

"  There  is  no  denying,"  Phil  proceeded,  "  that  he  is 
changed  somehow  or  other.  He  is  not  the  same 
fellow  that  he  was  a  few  months  ago,  —  before  Dolly 
went  away." 

"It  is  Dolly  he  is  bothering  about,"  said  Mollie, 
concisely. 

Then  Aimee  was  roused. 

"  I  wish  they  were  married,"  she  said.  "  I  wish 
they  were  married  and  —  safe ! " 


VAGABONDIA.  193 

"  Safe  !  "  put  in  Mrs.  Phil.  "  That  is  a  queer  thing 
to  say.  They  are  not  in  any  danger,  let  us  devoutly 
hope." 

The  two  wrinkles  deepened,  and  the  wise  one 
sighed. 

"  I  hope  not,"  she  answered,  bending  her  small, 
round,  anxious  face  over  her  sewing,  and  attacking  it 
vigorously. 

"They  never  struck  me,  you  know,"  returned 
Mrs.  Phil,  "  as  being  a  particularly  dangerous  couple, 
though  now  I  think  of  it  I  do  remember  that  it  has 
once  or  twice  occurred  to  me  that  Griffith  has  been 
rather  stupid  lately." 

"It  has  occurred  to  me,"  remarked  Phil,  dryly, 
"  that  he  has  taken  a  most  unaccountable  dislike  to 
Go  wan." 

Mollie  turned  round  to  her  window  again. 

"Not  to  put  it  too  strongly,"  continued  the  head  of 
the  family,  "  he  hates  him  like  the  deuce." 

And  he  was  not  far  wrong  in  making  the  assertion. 
The  time  had  been  coming  for  some  time  when  the 
course  of  this  unimposing  story  of  true  love  was  no 
longer  to  run  smooth,  and  in  these  days  Griffith  was 
in  a  dangerous  frame  of  mind.  Now  and  then  he 
heard  of  Gowan  dropping  in  to  spend  a  few  hours  at 
Brabazon  Lodge,  and  now  and  then  he  heard  of  his 
good  fortune  in  having  found  in  Miss  MacDowlas  a 
positive  champion.  He  was  even  a  favorite  with  her, 

13 


194  VAGABONDIA. 

just  as  he  was  a  favorite  with  many  other  people. 
Griffith  did  not  visit  Brabazon  Lodge  himself,  he 
had  given  that  up  long  ago,  indeed  had  only  once 
paid  his  respects  to  his  relative  since  her  arrival  in 
London.  That  one  visit,  short  and  ceremonious  as 
it  was,  had  been  enough  for  him.  Like  many  esti 
mable  ladies,  Miss  MacDowlas  had  prejudices  of  her 
own  which  were  hard  to  remove,  and  appearances 
had  been  against  her  nephew. 

"  If  he  is  living  a  respectable  life,  and  so  engaged 
in  a  respectable  profession,  my  dear,"  commented 
Dolly's  proprietress,  in  one  of  her  after  conversations 
on  the  subject,  "  why  does  he  look  shabby  and  out 
at  elbows  ?  It  is  my  opinion  that  he  is  a  very  dis 
reputable  young  man." 

"  She  thinks,"  wrote  Dolly  to  the  victim,  "  that  you 
waste  your  substance  in  riotous  living."  And  it  was 
such  an  exquisite  satire  on  the  true  state  of  affairs, 
that  even  Griffith  forgot  his  woes  for  the  moment, 
and  laughed  when  he  read  the  letter. 

Dolly  herself  was  not  prone  to  complain  of  Miss 
MacDowlas.  She  was  not  so  bad  as  she  looked,  after 
all.  She  was  obstinate  and  rigid  enough  on  some 
points,  but  she  had  her  fairer  side,  and  Dolly  found 
it.  In  a  fashion  of  her  own  Miss  MacDowlas  was 
rather  fond  of  her  companion.  A  girl  who  was 
shrewd,  industrious,  and  often  amusing,  was  not  to 
be  despised  in  her  opinion ;  so  she  showed  her  fair 


VAGABONDIA.  195 

young  handmaiden  a  certain  amount  of  respect. 
She  had  engaged  companions  before,  who  being  en 
tertaining  were  not  trustworthy,  or  being  trustworthy 
were  insufferably  dull.  She  could  trust  Dolly  with 
the  most  onerous  of  her  domestic  or  social  charges, 
she  found,  and  there  was  no  fear  of  her  small  change 
disappearing  or  her  visitors  being  bored.  So  the 
position  of  that  "  young  person "  became  an  assured 
and  decently  comfortable  one. 

But,  day  by  day,  Griffith  was  drifting  nearer  and 
nearer  the  old  shoals  of  difficulty.  He  rasped  him 
self  with  miserable  imaginings,  and  was  often  unjust 
even  toward  Dolly.  Hers  was  the  brighter  side  of 
the  matter,  he  told  himself. 

She  was  sure  to  find  friends,  —  she  always  did, 
these  people  would  make  a  sort  of  favorite  of  her,  and 
she  would  be  pleased  because  she  was  so  popular 
among  them.  He  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  her 
ephemeral  happiness  over  trifles  sometimes.  He 
even  fell  so  low  as  that  at  his  worst  moments,  though 
to  his  credit,  be  it  spoken,  he  was  always  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  himself  afterward.  There  were  times, 
too,  when  he  half  resented  her  little  jokes  at  their 
poverty,  and  answered  them  bitterly  when  he  wrote 
his  replies  to  her  letters.  His  chief  consolation  he 
found  in  Aimee,  and  the  sage  of  the  family  found  her 
hands  fuller  than  ever.  Quiet  little  body  as  she  was, 
she  was  far-sighted  enough  to  see  danger  in  the 


196  VAGABONDIA. 

distance,  and  surely  she  did  her  best  to  alter  its 
course. 

rt  If  you  are  not  cooler/'  she  would  say,  "  you  will 
work  yourself  into  such  a  fever  of  unhappiness,  that 
you  will  be  doing  something  you  will  regret." 

"  That  is  what  I  am  afraid  of,"  he  would  sometimes 
burst  forth ;  "  but  you  must  admit,  Aimee,  that  it  is 
a  pretty  hard  case." 

"  Yes,"  confessed  the  young  oracle,  "  I  will  admit 
that,  but  being  unreasonable  won't  make  it  any 
easier." 

And  then  the  fine  little  lines  would  show  them 
selves,  and  she  would  set  herself  industriously  to  the 
task  of  administering  comfort  and  practical  advice, 
and  she  never  failed  to  cheer  him  a  little,  however 
temporarily. 

And  she  did  not  fail  Dolly,  either.  Sage  axioms 
and  praiseworthy  counsel  reached  Brabazon  Lodge  in 
divers  small  envelopes,  addressed  to  Miss  Crewe,  and 
invariably  beginning,  "  My  dearest  Dolly  ; "  and  more 
than  once  difficulty  had  been  averted,  and  Dolly's 
heart  warmed  again  toward  her  lover,  when  she  had 
been  half  inclined  to  rebel  and  exhibit  some  slight 
sharpness  of  temper.  Only  a  few  days  after  the 
conversation  with  which  the  present  chapter  opens 
occurred,  one  of  these  modestly  powerful  missives  was 
forwarded,  and  that  evening  Griffith  met  with  an 
agreeable  surprise.  Chance  had  taken  him  into  the 


VAGABOND1A.  197 

vicinity  of  Miss  MacDowlas's  establishment,  and  as 
he  walked  down  the  deserted  road  in  a  somewhat 
gloomy  frame  of  mind,  he  became  conscious  suddenly 
of  the  sound  of  small,  li^ht  feet,  running  rapidly 
down  the  footpath  behind  him. 

"  Griffith  ! "  cried  a  clear,  softly  pitched  voice, 
"  Griffith,  wait  for  me." 

And,  turning,  he  saw  in  the  dusk  of  the  winter  day 
a  little  figure  almost  flying  toward  him,  and  in  a  few 
seconds  more  Dolly  was  standing  by  him,  laughing 
and  panting,  and  holding  to  his  arm  with  both 
hands. 

"I  thought  I  should  never  catch  you,"  she  said. 
"  You  never  walked  so  fast  in  your  life,  I  believe,  you 
stupid  old  fellow.  I  could  n't  call  out  loud,  though 
it  is  a  quiet  place,  and  so  I  had  to  begin  to  run. 
Goodness  !  w  jat,  would  Lady  Augusta  have  said  if  she 
had  seen  me  flying  after  you ! " 

And  then,  stopring  all  at  once,  she  looked  up  at 
him  with  a  wicked  little  air  of  saucy  daring. 

"Don't  you  want  to  kiss  me?"  she  said.  "You 
may,  if  you  will  endeavor  to  effect  it  with  despatch 
before  somebody  comes." 

She  was  obliged  to  resign  herself  to  her  fate  then. 
For  nearly  two  minutes  she  found  herself  rendered 
almost  invisible,  and  neither  of  them  spoke.  Then 
half  released,  she  lifted  her  face  to  look  at  him, 
and  there  were  tears  on  her  eyelashes,  and  in  her 


198  VAGABONDIA. 

voice,  too,  though  she  was  trying  very  hard  to 
smile. 

"  Poor  old  fellow,"  she  half  whispered.  "  Has  it 
seemed  long  since  you  kissed  me  last  ? " 

He  caught  her  to  his  breast  again  in  his  old,  impet 
uous  fashion. 

"  Long ! "  he  groaned.  "  It  has  seemed  so  long  that 
there  have  been  times  when  it  has  almost  driven  me 
mad.  O  Dolly  !  Dolly  ! " 

She  let  him  crush  her  in  his  arms  and  kiss  her 
again,  and  she  nestled  against  his  shoulder  for  a 
minute,  and,  putting  her  warm  little  gloved  hand  up 
to  his  face,  gave  it  a  tiny,  loving  squeeze.  But  of 
course  that  could  not  last  long.  Miss  Macdowlas's 
companion  might  be  kissed  in  the  dusk  two  or  three 
times,  but,  genteelly  sequestered  as  was  the  road 
leading  to  Brabazon  Lodge,  some  stray  footman  or 
housemaid  might  appear  on  the  scene,  from  some  of 
the  neighboring  establishments,  at  any  moment,  so 
she  was  obliged  to  draw  herself  away  at  last. 

"  There ! "  she  said,  "  you  must  let  me  take  your 
arm  and  walk  on  now,  and  you  must  tell  me  all  about 
things.  I  have  a  few  minutes  to  spare,  and  I  have  so 
wanted  you,"  heaving  a  weary  little  sigh,  and  holding 
his  arm  very  tightly  indeed. 

"  Dolly,"  he  asked,  abruptly,  "  are  you  sure  of  that  ? " 

The  other  small  hand  clasped  itself  across  his 
sleeve  in  an  instant. 


VAGABONDIA.  109 

"  Sure  ? "  she  answered.  "  Sure  that  I  have  wanted 
you  ?  I  have  been  nearly  dying  for  you  ! "  with  some 
affectionate  extravagance. 

"  Are  you  sure,"  he  put  it  to  her,  "  quite  sure  that 
you  have  not  sometimes  forgotten  me  for  an  hour 
or  so  ? " 

"No,"  she  answered,  indignantly,  "not  for  a  single 
second  ; "  which  was  a  wide  assertion. 

"  Not,"  he  prompted  her,  somewhat  bitterly,  "  when 
the  MacDowlas  gives  dinner-parties,  and  you  find 
yourself  a  prominent  feature,  'young  person,'  as  you 
are  ?  Not  when  you  wear  the  white  merino,  and 
'  heavy  swells '  admire  you  openly  ? " 

"No,"  shaking  her  head  in  stout  denial  of  the 
imputation.  "  Never.  I  think  about  you  from  morn 
ing  until  night ;  and  the  fact  is"  in  a  charming  burst 
of  candor,  "  I  actually  wake  in  the  night  and  think 
about  you.  There !  are  you  satisfied  now  ? " 

It  would  have  been  impossible  to  remain  al 
together  unconsoled  and  unmoved  under  such  cir 
cumstances,  but  he  could  not  help  trying  her 
again. 

"  Dolly,"  he  said,  "  does  Gowan  never  make  you 
forget  me  ? " 

Then  she  saw  what  he  meant,  and  flushed  up  to 
her  forehead,  drawing  her  hand  away  and  speaking 
hotly. 

"  Oh ! "  she  said,  "  it  is  that,  is  it  ?  " 


200  VAGABONDIA. 

"  Yes,"  lie  answered  her,  "  it  is  that." 

Then  they  stopped  in  their  walk,  and  each  looked 
at  the  other,  —  Griffith  at  Dolly,  with  a  pale  face  and 
much  of  desperate,  passionate  appeal  in  his  eyes ; 
Dolly  at  Griffith,  with  her  small  head  thrown  back  in 
sudden  defiance. 

"  I  am  making  you  angry  and  rousing  you,  Dolly," 
he  said ;  "  but  I  cannot  help  it.  There  is  scarcely  a 
week  passes  in  which  I  do  not  hear  that  he  —  that 
fellow  —  has  managed  to  see  you  in  one  way  or 
another.  He  can  always  see  you/'  savagely.  "  / 
don't  see  you  once  a  month." 

"  Ah ! "  said  Dolly,  with  cruel  deliberation,  "  this  is 
what  Aimee  meant  when  she  told  me  to  be  careful, 
and  think  twice  before  I  did  things.  I  see  now." 

I  have  never  yet  painted  Dolly  Crewe  as  being  a 
young  person  of  angelic  temperament.  I  have  owned 
that  she  flirted  and  had  a  temper  in  spite  of  her 
Vagabondian  good  spirits,  good-nature,  and  popu 
larity  ;  so  my  readers  will  not  be  surprised  at  her 
resenting  rather  sharply  what  she  considered  as 
being  her  lover's  lack  of  faith. 

"  I  think,"  she  proceeded,  opening  her  eyes  wide 
and  addressing  him  with  her  grandest  air,  —  "I  think 
I  will  walk  the  rest  of  my  way  alone,  if  you 
please." 

It  was  very  absurd  arid  very  tragical  in  a  small 
way,  of  course,  and  assuredly  she  ought  to  have 


VAGABONDIA.  201 

known  better,  and  perhaps  she  did  know  better, 
but  just  now  she  was  very  fierce  and  very  sharply 
disappointed.  She  positively  turned  away  as  if  to 
leave  him,  but  he  caught  hold  of  her  arm  and  held 
her. 

"Dolly,"  he  cried,  huskily,  "you  are  not  going 
away  in  that  fashion.  We  never  parted  so  in  our 
lives." 

She  half  relented,  —  not  quite,  but  nearly,  so  very 
nearly  that  she  did  not  try  very  hard  to  get  away. 
It  was  Griffith,  after  all,  who  was  trying  her  patience 
—  if  Gowan  or  any  other  man  on  earth  had  dared  to 
imply  a  doubt  in  her,  she  would  have  routed  him 
magnificently  in  two  minutes ;  but  Griffith  —  ah, 
well,  Griffith  was  different. 

"  Whose  fault  is  it  ? "  she  asked,  breaking  down 
ignominiously.  "  Who  is  to  blame  ?  I  never  ask 
you  if  other  people  make  you  forget  me.  I  wanted 
to  —  to  see  you  so  much  that  I  —  I  ran  madly  after 
you  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  at  the  risk  of  being  looked 
upon  as  a  lunatic  by  any  one  who  might  have 
chanced  to  see  me.  But  you  don't  care  for  that. 
I  had  better  have  bowed  to  you  and  passed  on  if  we 
had  met.  Let  me  go  ! " 

"  No,"  said  Griffith,  "  you  shall  not  go.  God  knows 
if  I  could  keep  you,  you  should  never  leave  my  arms 
again." 

"  You  would  tire  of  me  in  a  week,  if  I  belonged  to 


202  VAGABONDIA. 

you  in  real  earnest,"  she  said,  not  trying  to  get  away 
at  all  now,  however. 

"  Tire  of  you ! "  he  exclaimed,  in  a  shaken  voice. 
"  Of  you  !  "  And  all  at  once  he  drew  her  round  so 
that  the  light  of  the  nearest  lamp  could  fall  on  her 
face.  "Look  here!"  he  whispered,  sharply;  "Dolly, 
I  swear  to  you,  that  if  there  lives  a  man  on  earth 
base  and  heartless  enough  to  rob  me  of  you,  I 
will  kill  him  as  sure  as  I  breathe  the  breath  of 
life!" 

She  had  seen  him  impassioned  enough  often  before, 
but  she  had  never  seen  him  in  as  wild  a  mood  as  he 
was  when  he  uttered  these  words.  She  was  so  fright 
ened  that  she  broke  into  a  little  cry,  and  put  her 
hand  up  to  his  lips. 

"Griffith!"  she  said,  "Grif!  — dear  old  fellow. 
You  don't  know  what  you  are  saying.  Oh!  don't 
—  don't!" 

Her  horror  brought  him  to  his  senses  again ;  but  he 
had  terrified  her  so  that  she  was  trembling  all  over, 
and  clung  to  him  nervously  when  he  tried  to  console 
her. 

"  It  is  n't  like  you  to  speak  in  such  a  way,"  she 
faltered,  in  the  midst  of  her  tears.  "  Oh,  how  dread 
fully  wrong  things  must  be  getting,  to  make  you  so 
cruel!" 

It  took  so  long  a  time  to  reassure  and  restore  her 
to  her  calmness,  that  he  repented  his  rashness  a  dozen 


VAGABONDIA.  203 

times.  But  lie  managed  to  comfort  her  at  length, 
though  to  the  last  she  was  tearful  and  dejected,  and 
her  voice  was  broken  with  soft,  sorrowful  little  catch- 
ings  of  the  breath. 

"Don't  let  us  talk  about  Ealph  Gowan/'  she 
pleaded,  when  he  had  persuaded  her  to  walk  on  with 
him  again.  "  Let  us  talk  about  ourselves,  —  we  are 
always  safe  when  we  talk  about  ourselves,"  with  an 
innocent,  mournful  smile. 

And  so  they  talked  about  themselves.  He  would 
have  talked  of  anything  on  earth  to  please  her  then. 
Talking  of  themselves,  of  course,  implied  talking  non 
sense, —  affectionate,  sympathetic  nonsense,  but  still 
nonsense ;  and  so,  for  a  while,  they  strolled  on  to 
gether,  and  were  as  tenderly  foolish  and  disconnected 
as  two  people  could  possibly  be. 

But,  in  spite  of  her  resolution  to  avoid  the  subject, 
Dolly  could  not  help  drifting  back  to  Ealph  Gowan. 
"  Griffith/'  she  said,  plaintively,  "  you  are  very  jealous 
of  him." 

"  I  know  that,"  he  answered. 

"  But  don't  you  know,'9  in  desperate  appeal,  "  that 
there  is  n't  the  slightest  need  for  you  to  be  jealous  of 
anybody  ? " 

"  I  know,"  he  returned,  dejectedly,  "  that  I  am  a 
very  wretched  fellow  sometimes." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  sighed  Dolly. 

"  I  know,"  he  went  on,  "  that  seven  years  is  a  long 


204  VAGABONDIA. 

probation,  and  that  the  prospect  of  another  seven,  or 
another  two,  for  the  matter  of  that,  would  drive  me 
mad.  I  know  I  am  growing  envious  and  distrustful ; 
I  know  that  there  are  times  when  I  hate  that  fellow 
so  savagely  that  I  am  ashamed  of  myself.  Dolly, 
what  has  he  ever  done  that  he  should  saunter  on  the 
sunny  side,  clad  in  purple  and  fine  linen  all  his  life  ? 
The  money  he  throws  away  in  a  year  would  furnish 
the  house  at  Putney." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  burst  forth  Dolly.  "  You  are  going- 
wrong.  It  is  all  because  1  am  not  there  to  take 
care  of  you,  too.  Those  are  not  the  sentiments  of 
Yagabondia,  Grif." 

"  No,"  dryly ;  "  they  are  of  the  earth,  earthy." 

Dolly  shook  her  head  dolefully. 

"  Yes,"  she  acquiesced  ;  "  and  they  are  a  bit  shabby, 
too.  You  are  going  down,  Grif.  You  never  used  to 
be  shabby.  None  of  us  were  ever  exactly  that,  though 
we  used  to  grumble  sometimes.  We  used  to  grumble, 
not  because  other  people  had  things,  but  because  we 
had  n't  them." 

"  I  am  getting  hardened,  I  suppose,"  bitterly.  "  And 
it  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  at." 

"  Hardened  ! "  She  stopped  him  that  moment,  and 
stood  before  him,  holding  his  arm  and  looking  up  at 
him.  "  Hardened  ! "  she  repeated.  "  Grif,  if  you  say 
that  again,  I  will  never  forgive  you.  What  is  the 
good  of  our  love  for  each  other  if  it  won't  keep  our 


VAGABOND1A.  205 

hearts  soft  ?  When  we  get  hardened  we  shall  love 
each  other  no  longer.  What  have  we  told  each  other 
all  these  years  ?  Have  n't  we  said  that  so  long  as  we 
had  one  another  we  could  bear  anything,  and  not  envy 
other  people  ?  It  was  n't  all  talk  and  sentiment,  was 
it  ?  It  was  n't  on  my  part,  Grif.  I  meant  it  then, 
and  I  mean  it  now,  though  I  know  there  are  many 
good,  kind-hearted  people  in  the  world  who  would 
not  understand  it,  and  would  say  I  was  talking 
unpractical  rubbish,  if  they  heard  me.  Hardened ! 
Grif,  while  you  have  me,  and  I  have  you,  and 
there  is  nothing  on  our  two  consciences  ?  Why,  it 
sounds,"  —  with  another  most  dubious  shake  of  her 
small  head,  —  "  it  sounds  as  if  you  would  n't  care 
about  the  house  at  Putney ! " 

He  was  conquered,  of  course ;  before  she  had  spoken 
a  dozen  words  he  had  been  conquered ;  but  this  figure 
of  his  not  caring  for  the  house  at  Putney  broke  him 
utterly.  He  did  not  look  very  hardened  when  he 
answered  her. 

"  Dolly,"  he  said,  "  you  are  an  angel !  I  have  told 
you  so  before,  and  it  may  be  a  proof  of  the  barrenness 
of  my  resources  to  tell  you  so  again,  but  it  is  true. 
God  forgive  me,  my  precious  !  I  should  like  to  see 
the  man  whose  heart  could  harden  while  such  a 
woman  loved  him." 

It  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  her  put  her  hands  on 
his  shoulders,  and  stand  on  tiptoe  to  kiss  him,  in  her 


206  VAGABOND1A. 

honest,  earnest  way,  without  waiting  for  him  to  ask 
her. 

"Ah  ! "  she  said,  "  I  knew  it  wasn't  true,"  and  then, 
still  letting  her  hands  rest  on  his  shoulders,  she  burst 
forth  in  her  tender,  impulsive  way  again.  "  Grif," 
she  said,  "  I  don't  think  I  am  very  wise,  and  I  know 
I  am  not  very  thoughtful.  I  do  things  often  that  it 
would  be  better  to  leave  undone,  —  T  am  fond  of 
making  the  Philistines  admire  me,  and  I  sometimes 
tease  you ;  but,  dear  old  fellow,  right  deep  down  at 
the  bottom  of  my  heart,"  faltering  slightly,  "I  do  — 
do  want  to  be  a  good  woman ;  arid  there  is  never  a 
night  passes  —  though  I  never  told  you  so  before  — 
that  I  do  not  pray  to  God  to  let  me  help  you  and  let 
you  help  me  to  be  tender  and  faithful  and  true." 

It  was  the  old  story,  —  love  was  king.  Wisdom  to 
the  winds  !  Practicality  to  the  corners  of  the  earth  ! 
Prudence,  power,  and  grandeur,  hide  your  diminished 
heads  !  Here  were  two  people  who  cared  nothing  for 
you,  and  who  flung  you  aside  without  a  fear  as  they 
stood  together  under  the  trees  in  the  raw  evening 
air,  —  one  a  penniless  little  hired  entertainer  of  elderly 
ladies,  the  other  an  equally  impecunious  bondsman 
in  a  dingy  office. 

They  were  quite  happy,  —  even  happy  when  time- 
warned  them  that  they  must  bid  each  other  good 
night.  They  walked  together  to  the  gates  of  Braba- 
zon  Lodge,  and  parted  in  a  state  of  bliss. 


VAGABONDIA.  207 

"  Good-night,"  said  Dolly.  "  Be  good,  —  as  some 
body  wise  once  said,  — '  Be  good,  and  you  will  be 
happy/" 

"  Good-night,"  answered  Griffith  ;  "but  might  n't  he 
have  put  it  the  other  way,  Dolly,  '  Be  happy,  and  you 
will  be  good  —  because  you  can't  help  it '  ? " 

He  had  his  hand  on  her  shoulder,  this  time,  and  as 
she  laughed  she  put  her  face  down  so  that  her  soft, 
warm  cheek  nestled  against  it. 

"But  he  didn't  put  it  that  way,"  she  objected. 
"And  we  must  take  wisdom  as  it  comes.  There  !  I 
must  go  now,"  rather  in  a  hurry.  "  Some  one  is  com 


ing  —  see ! 


"  Confound  it !  "  he  observed,  devoutly.  "  Who 
is  it?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Dolly ;  "  but  you  must 
let  me  go.  Good-night,  again." 

He  released  her,  and  she  ran  in  through  the  gate, 
and  up  the  gravel  walk,  and  so  he  was  left  to  turn 
away  and  pass  the  intruder  with  an  appearance  of 
nonchalance.  And  pass  him  he  did,  though  whether 
with  successful  indifference  or  not,  one  can  hardly 
say ;  but  in  passing  him  he  looked  up,  and  in  looking 
up  he  recognized  Ealph  Go  wan. 

"  Going  to  see  her,"  he  said,  to  himself,  just  as  poor 
Mollie  had  said  the  same  thing,  and  just  with  the 
same  heartburn.  "  The  dev —  But,  no,"  he  broke  off 
sharply,  "  I  won't  begin  again.  It  is  as  she  says,  — • 


208  VAGABONDIA. 

the  blessed  little  darling  !  —  it  is  shabby  to  be  down 
on  him  because  he  has  the  best  of  it."  And  he  went 
on  his  way,  not  rejoicing,  it  is  true,  but  still  trying 
to  crush  down  a  by  no  means  unnatural  feeL'ng  of 
rebellion. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

IN   SLIPPERY  PLACES. 

wise  one  sat  at  the  window  and  looked  out. 
The  view  commanded  by  Bloomsbury  Place 
was  not  a  specially  imposing  or  attractive  one.  Four 
or  five  tall,  dingy  houses  with  solitary  scrubby  shrubs 
in  their  small  front  slips  of  low-spirited  looking  gar 
dens,  four  or  five  dingy  and  tall  houses  without  the 
scrubby  shrubs  in  their  small  front  slips  of  low- 
spirited  looking  gardens,  rows  of  Venetian  blinds  of 
various  shades,  and  one  or  two  lamp-posts,  —  not 
much  to  enliven  the  prospect. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  houses  in  Bloomsbury  Place 
were  not  prone  to  sitting  at  their  front  windows, 
accordingly ;  but  this  special  afternoon,  the  weather 
being  foggy,  Aimee  finding  herself  alone  in  the  par 
lor,  had  left  the  fire  just  to  look  at  this  same  fog, 
though  it  was  b}r  no  means  a  novelty.  The  house 
was  very  quiet.  'Toinette  was  out,  and  so  was  Mol- 
lie,  and  Tod  was  asleep,  lying  upon  a  collection  of 
cushions  on  the  hearth-rug,  with  two  fingers  in  his 

14 


210  VAGABONDIA 

mouth,  his  round  baby  face  turned  up  luxuriously 
to  catch  the  warmth. 

The  wise  one  was  waiting  for  Mollie,  who  had  gone 
out  a  few  hours  before  to  execute  divers  commissions 
of  a  domestic  nature. 

"  She  might  have  been  back  in  half  the  time/'  mur 
mured  the  family  sage,  who  sat  on  the  carpet,  flatten 
ing  her  small  features  against  the  glass.  "  She  might 
have  done  what  she  has  to  do  in  less  than  half  the 
time,  but  I  knew  how  it  would  be  when  she  went 
out.  She  is  looking  in  at  the  shop  windows  and 
wishing  for  things.  I  wish  she  would  n't.  People 
stare  at  her  so,  and  I  don't  wonder.  I  am  sure  I 
cannot  help  watching  her  myself,  sometimes.  She 
grows  prettier  every  day  of  her  life,  and  she  is  begin 
ning  to  know  that  she  does,  too." 

Five  minutes  after  this  the  small  face  was  drawn 
away  from  the  window-pane  with  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"  There  she  is  now.  What  a  time  she  has  been ! 
Who  is  with  her,  I  wonder  ?  I  cannot  see  whether 
it  is  Phil  or  Mr.  Gowan,  it  is  getting  so  dark.  It 
must  be  Mr.  Gowan.  'Toinette  would  be  with  them 
if  it  was  Phil." 

"Why,  Mollie,"  she  exclaimed,  when  the  door 
opened,  "  I  saw  somebody  with  you,  and  I  thought  it 
was  Mr.  Gowan.  Why  did  n't  he  come  in  ?  Don't 
waken  Tod." 

Mollie  came  in  rather  hurriedly,  and  going  to  the 


VAGABONDIA.  211 

fire  knelt  down  before  it,  holding  out  her  hands  to 
warm  them.  Her  cheeks  were  brilliant  with  color 
and  her  eyes  were  bright ;  altogether,  she  looked  a 
trifle  excited. 

"  It  was  n't  Mr.  Gowan,"  she  answered.  "  Ugh  ! 
how  cold  it  is,  —  not  frosty,  you  know,  but  that  raw 
sort  of  cold,  Aimee.  I  would  rather  have  the  frost 
myself,  would  n't  you  ? " 

But  Aimee  was  not  thinking  of  the  weather. 

"  Not  Mr.  Gowan  ! "  she  ejaculated.  "  Who  was  it, 
then  ? " 

Mollie  crept  nearer  to  the  fire  and  gave  another 
little  shudder. 

"  It  was  —  somebody  else,"  she  returned,  with  a 
triumphant  little  half-laugh.  "  Guess  who  ! " 

"  Who  ! "  repeated  Aimee.  "  Somebody  else  !  It 
was  not  any  one  I  know." 

"  It  was  somebody  Phil  knows." 

The  wise  one  arose  and  came  to  the  fire  herself. 

"  It  was  some  one  taller  than  Brown  ! " 

"  Brown  ! "  echoed  Mollie,  with  an  air  of  supreme 
contempt.  "He  is  twice  as  tall.  Brown  is  only 
about  five  feet  high,  and  he  wears  an  overcoat  ten 
times  too  big  for  him,  and  it  flaps  —  yes,  it  flaps 
about  his  odious  little  heels.  I  should  think  it 
wasn't  Brown.  It  was  a  gentleman." 

The  wise  one  regarded  her  pretty,  scornfu]  face 
dubiously. 


212  VAGABONDIA. 

"  Brown  is  n't  so  bad  as  all  that  implies,  Mollie," 
she  said.  "  His  coat  is  the  worst  part  of  him.  But 
if  it  was  n't  Brown  and  it  was  n't  Mr.  Gowan,  who 
was  it  ? " 

Mollie  laughed  and  shrugged  her  shoulders  again, 
and  then  looked  up  at  her  small  inquisitor  charm 
ingly  defiant. 

"  It  was  —  Mr.  Chandos  ! "  she  confessed. 

Aimee  gazed  at  her  for  a  moment  in  blank  amaze 
ment. 

"  But,"  she  objected,  "  you  don't  know  him  any 
more  than  I  do.  You  have  only  seen  him  once 
through  the  window,  and  you  have  never  been  intro 
duced  to  him." 

"  I  have  seen  him  twice,"  said  Mollie.  "  Don't 
you  recollect  my  telling  you  that  he  picked  up  my 
glove  for  me  the  night  I  carried  Dolly's  dress  to  Bra- 
bazon  Lodge,  and,"  faltering  a  little  and  dropping  her 
eyes, "  he  introduced  himself  to  me.  He  met  me  in 
town.  I  was  passing  through  the  Arcade,  and  he 
stopped  to  ask  about  Phil.  He  apologized,  of  course, 
you  know,  for  doing  it,  but  he  said  he  was  very 
anxious  to  know  when  Phil  would  be  at  home,  and 
—  and  perhaps  I  would  be  so  kind  as  to  tell  him. 
He  wants  to  see  him  about  a  picture.  And  —  then, 
you  know,  somehow  or  other,  he  said  something  else, 
and  —  and  I  answered  him  —  and  he  walked  to  the 
gate  with  me." 


VAGABONDIA.  213 

"  He  took  a  great  liberty,"  said  Aimee.  "  And  it 
was  very  imprudent  in  you  to  let  him  come.  I  don't 
know  what  you  could  be  thinking  of.  The  idea  of 
picking  up  people  in  the  street  like  that,  Mollie ;  you 
must  be  crazy." 

"  I  could  n't  help  it,"  returned  Mollie,  not  appear 
ing  at  all  disturbed.  "  He  knows  Phil  and  he  knows 
Dolly  —  a  little.  And  he  is  very  nice.  He  wants 
to  know  us  all.  And  he  says  Mr.  Go  wan  is  one  of 
his  best  friends.  I  liked  him  myself." 

"  I  dare  say  you  did,"  despairingly.  "  You  are 
such  a  child.  You  would  like  the  man  in  the  moon 
or  a  Kaffre  chief —  " 

"  That  is  not  true,"  interposed  the  delinquent.  "  I 
don't  know  about  the  man  in  the  moon.  He  might 
be  well  enough  —  at  any  rate,  he  would  be  travelled 
and  a  novelty,  but  Kaffre  chiefs  are  odious.  Don't 
you  remember  those  we  saw  last  winter  ? " 

"  Mollie,"  said  Aimee,  "  you  are  only  jesting  because 
you  are  ashamed  of  yourself.  You  know  you  were 
wrong  to  let  that  man  come  home  with  you." 

Then  Mollie  hung  her  head  and  made  a  lovely 
rebellious  move. 

"I  don't  care,"  she  said;  "if  it  wasn't  exactly  cor 
rect,  it  was  nice.  But  that  is  always  the  way,"  indig 
nantly,  "nice  things  are  always  improper." 

Here  was  a  defection  for  you.  The  oracle  quite 
shuddered  in  her  discreet  disapproval. 


214  VAGABONDIA. 

"  If  you  go  on  in  that  way/'  she  said,  "  you  will  be 
ending  by  saying  that  improper  things  are  always 
nice." 

"  Never  mind  how  I  end,"  observed  the  prisoner 
at  the  bar.  "  You  have  ended  by  wakening  Tod ; " 
which  remark  terminated  the  conversation  somewhat 
abruptly. 

A  day  or  so  later  came  Chandos  —  upon  business, 
so  he  said,  but  he  remained  much  longer  than  his 
errand  rendered  necessary,  and  by  some  chance  or 
other  it  came  to  pass  that  Phil  brought  him  into  the 
parlor,  and  introduced  him  to  their  small  circle,  in  his 
usual  amiable,  informal  manner.  Then  he  was  to  be 
seen  fairly,  and  prepossessing  enough  he  was.  Mol- 
lie,  sitting  in  her  corner  in  the  blue  dress,  and  looking 
exquisite  and  guileless,  was  very  demurely  silent  at 
first ;  but  in  due  time  Aimee  began  to  see  that  she 
was  being  gradually  drawn  out,  and  at  last  the  draw 
ing  out  was  such  a  success,  subtle  as  it  was,  that  she 
became  quite  a  prominent  feature  in  the  party,  and 
made  so  many  brilliant  speeches  without  blushing, 
that  the  family  eyes  began  to  be  opened  to  the  fact 
that  she  was  really  a  trifle  older  than  she  had  been 
a  few  years  ago,  after  all.  The  idea  had  suggested 
itself  to  them  faintly  on  one  or  two  occasions  of  late, 
and  they  were  just  beginning  to  grasp  it,  though  they 
were  fully  as  much  startled  as  they  would  have  been 
if  Tod  had  unexpectedly  roused  himself  from  his 


VAGABONDIA.  215 

infantile  slumbers,  and  mildly  but  firmly  announced 
his  intention  of  studying  for  the  ministry  or  entering 
a  political  contest. 

Aimee  was  dumbfounded.  She  had  not  expected 
this.  She  was  going  to  have  her  hands  full,  it  was 
plain.  She  scarcely  wondered  now  at  her  discovery 
of  two  evenings  before.  And  then  she  glanced  slyly 
across  the  room  again,  and  took  it  all  in  once  more,  — 
Mollie,  bewitching  in  all  the  novelty  of  her  small 
effort  at  coquetry ;  Chandos,  leading  her  on,  and 
evidently  enjoying  the  task  he  had  set  himself  in 
tensely. 

It  was  quite  a  new  Mollie  who  was  left  to  them 
after  their  visitor  was  gone.  There  was  a  touch  of 
triumph  and  excitement  in  the  pretty  flushed  face, 
and  a  ghost  of  defiance  in  the  brown  eyes.  She  was 
not  quite  sure  that  young  Dame  Prudence  would  not 
improve  the  occasion  with  a  short  homily. 

So  she  was  a  trifle  restless.  First  she  stood  at  the 
window  humming  an  air,  then  she  came  to  the  table 
and  turned  over  a  few  sketches,  then  she  knelt  down 
on  pretence  of  teasing  Tod. 

But  impulse  was  too  much  for  her.  She  forgot 
Tod  in  a  few  minutes  and  fell  into  a  sitting  position, 
folding  her  hands  idly  on  the  blue  garment. 

"  I  knew  he  would  come,"  she  said,  abstractedly 
Then  Dame  Prudence  addressed  her. 

"  Did  you  ? "  she  remarked.     "  How  did  you  ? " 


216  VAGABONDIA. 

She  started  and  blushed  up  to  her  ears. 

"  How  ? "  she  repeated.     "  Oh,  I  knew  ! " 

"  Perhaps  he  told  you  he  would/'  put  in  Dame  P. 
'Did  he?" 

"Aimee,"  was  the  rather  irrelevant  reply,  rather 
suddenly  made,  "  do  you  like  him  ? " 

"  I  never  judge  people,"  primly  enunciated,  "  upon 
first  acquaintance.  First  impressions  are  rarely  to 
be  relied  upon." 

"  That 's  a  nice  speech,"  in  her  elder  sister's  most 
shockingly  flippant  manner,  "  and  it  sounds  well,  but 
I  have  heard  it  before  —  thousands  of  times.  Peo 
ple  always  say  it  when  they  want  to  be  specially 
disagreeable,  and  would  like  to  cool  you  down. 
There  is  the  least  grain  of  Lady  Augusta  in  you, 
Aimee." 

"  And  considering  that  Lady  Augusta  is  the  most 
unpleasant  person  we  know,  that  is  a  nice  speech," 
returned  the  oracle. 

"  Oh,  well,  I  only  said  ' a  grain/  and  a  grain  is  not 
much." 

"  It  is  quite  enough." 

"  Well,"  amiably,  "  suppose  we  say  half  a  grain." 

"  Suppose  we  say  you  are  talking  nonsense." 

Mollie's  air  was  Dolly's  own  as  she  answered  her, 
—  people  always  said  she  was  like  Dolly,  despite  the 
fact  that  Dolly  was  not  a  beauty  at  all. 

"  There  may  be  something  in  that/'  she  said. 


VAGABONDIA.  217 

"  Suppose  we  admit  it  and  return  to  the  subject 
Do  you  think  he  is  nice,  Aimee  ? " 

"  Do  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  but  without  getting  rose-colored  this 
time. 

Aimee  looked  at  her  calmly,  but  with  some  quiet 
scrutiny  in  her  glance. 

"  As  nice,"  she  put  it  to  her,  —  "  as  nice  as  Ealph 
Gowan  ? " 

She  grew  rose-colored  then  in  an  instant  up  to  her 
ears  again  and  over  them,  and  she  turned  her  face 
aside  and  plucked  at  the  hearth-rug  with  nervous 
fingers. 

"  Well  ? "  suggested  Aimee. 

"  He  is  as  handsome  and  —  as  tall,  and  he  dresses 
as  well." 

"  Do  you  like  him  as  well  ? "  said  Aimee. 

"  Ye-es  —  no.  I  have  not  known  him  long  enough 
to  tell  you." 

"  Well,"  returned  Aimee,  "  let  me  tell  you.  As  I 
said  before,  I  do  not  think  it  wise  to  judge  people 
from  first  impressions,  but  this  I  do  know,  /  don't 
like  him  as  I  like  Mr.  Gowan,  and  I  never  shall. 
He  is  not  to  be  relied  upon,  that  Gerald  Chandos;  I 
saw  it  in  his  eyes." 

And  she  set  her  chin  upon  her  hand,  and  her  small, 
round,  fair  face  covered  itself  all  at  once  with  an 
anxious  cloud. 


218  VAGABONDIA. 

She  kept  a  quiet  watch  upon  Mollie  after  this,  and 
in  the  weeks  that  followed  she  was  puzzled,  and  not 
only  puzzled,  but  baffled  outright  many  a  time. 
This  first  visit  of  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos  was  not  his 
last.  His  business  brought  him  again  and  again,  and 
when  the  time  came  that  he  had  no  pretence  of  busi 
ness,  he  was  on  sufficiently  familiar  terms  with  them 
all  to  make  calls  of  pleasure.  So  he  did  just  as  Ralph 
Gowan  had  done,  slipped  into  his  groove  of  friend 
and  acquaintance  unobtrusively,  and  was  made  wel 
come  as  other  people  were,  —  just  as  any  sufficiently 
harmless  individual  would  have  been  under  the  same 
circumstances.  There  was  no  dragon  of  high  renown 
to  create  social  disturbances  in  Yagabondia. 

"As  long  as  a  man  behaves  himself,  where 's  the 
odds  ? "  said  Phil ;  and  no  one  ever  disagreed  with 
him. 

But  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos  had  not  been  to  the  house 
more  than  three  times  before  Aimee  found  cause  to 
wonder.  She  discovered  that  Kalph  Gowan  was  not 
so  enthusiastically  attached  to  him,  after  all;  and 
furthermore  she  had  her  reasons  for  thinking  that 
Gowan  was  rather  disturbed  at  his  advent,  and  would 
have  preferred  that  he  had  not  been  adopted  so  com 
placently. 

"If  Dolly  was  at  home,"  she  said  to  herself,  "I 
should  be  inclined  to  fancy  he  was  a  trifle  jealous ; 
and  if  he  cared  just  a  little  more  for  Mollie,  I  might 


VAGABONDIA.  219 

think  he  was  jealous  ;  but  Dolly  is  away,  and  though 
he  is  fond  of  Mollie,  and  thinks  her  pretty,  he  does  n't 
care  for  her  in  that  way  exactly,  so  there  must  be 
some  other  reason.  He  is  not  the  sort  of  person  to 
have  likes  or  dislikes  without  reason." 

In  her  own  sage  style  she  approved  of  Ealph 
Go  wan  just  as  she  approved  of  Griffith.  And  then, 
as  I  have  said,  Mollie  puzzled  her.  It  was  astonish 
ing  how  the  child  altered,  and  how  she  began  to 
bloom  out,  and  adopt  independent,  womanly  airs  and 
graces.  She  took  a  new  and  important  position  in 
the  household.  From  her  post  of  observation  the 
wise  one  found  herself  looking  on  with  a  smile  some 
times,  there  was  such  a  freshness  in  her  style  of 
enacting  the  rdle  of  beauty.  She  struck  Phil's  friends 
dumb  now  and  then  with  her  conscious  power,  and 
the  unhappy  Brown  suffered  himself  to  be  led  captive 
without  a  struggle. 

"  Her  'prentice  han'  she  tried  on  Brown,"  Dolly  had 
said,  months  before,  in  a  wretched  attempt  at  parody ; 
and  certainly  the  tortures  of  Brown  were  prolonged 
and  varied.  But  it  was  her  manner  toward  Chandos 
that  puzzled  Aimee.  Perhaps  she  was  a  trifle  proud 
of  his  evident  admiration ;  at  all  events,  she  seemed 
far  from  averse  to  it,  and  the  incomprehensible  part 
of  the  affair  was  that  sometimes  she  allowed  him  to 
rival  even  Ralph  Go  wan. 

"  And  yet,"  commented  Aimee,  "  she  likes  Ealph 


220  VAGABONDIA. 

Gowan  better.  She  never  can  help  blushing  and 
looking  conscious  when  he  conies  or  when  he  talks  to 
her,  and  she  is  as  cool  as  Dolly  when  she  finds  her 
self  with  Chandos.  It  is  very  odd." 

It  was  not  so  easy  to  manage  her  as  it  used  to  be, 
Balph  Gowan  discovered.  She  was  growing  capri 
cious  and  fanciful,  and  ready  to  take  offence.  If  they 
were  left  alone  together,  she  would  change  her  mood 
every  two  minutes.  Sometimes  she  would  submit  to 
his  old  jesting,  gallant  speeches  quite  humbly  and 
shyly  for  a  while,  and  then  she  would  flame  out  all  at 
once  in  anger,  half  a  woman's  and  half  a  child's.  He 
was  inclined  to  fancy  now  and  then  that  she  had 
never  forgiven  him  for  his  first  interference  on  the 
subject  of  Gerald  Chandos,  for  at  the  early  part  of  the 
acquaintance  he  did  interfere,  as  he  had  promised 
Dolly  he  would. 

"  I  am  not  glad  to  see  that  fellow  here,  Mollie,"  he 
had  said,  the  first  night  he  met  him  at  the  house. 

She  stood  erect  before  him,  with  her  white  throat 
straight,  and  a  spark  in  her  eyes. 

"  What  fellow  ? "  she  asked. 

"  Chandos,"  he  answered,  coolly  and  briefly. 

"  Oh  !  "  she  returned.  "  How  is  it  that  when  one 
man  dislikes  another  he  always  speaks  of  him  as 
'  that  fellow  '  ?  I  know  some  one  who  always  refers 
to  you  as  '  that  fellow.' " 

"  Do  you  ? "  dryly,  as  before.  He  knew  very  well 
whom  she  meant. 


VAGABONDIA.  221 

"  /  am  glad  to  see  '  that  fellow '  here,"  she  went  on. 
"  He  is  a  gentleman,  and  he  is  n't  stupid.  No  one 
else  comes  here  who  is  so  amusing.  I  am  tired  of 
Brown  &  Company." 

"  Ah ! "  he  answered,  biting  his  lip.  He  felt  the 
rebuff,  if  it  was  only  Mollie  who  gave  it.  "  Very  well 
then,  if  you  are  tired  of  Brown  &  Company,  and 
would  prefer  to  enter  into  partnership  with  Chandos, 
it  is  none  of  my  business,  I  suppose.  I  will  give  you 
one  warning,  however,  because  I  promised  your  sister 
to  take  care  of  you."  Her  skin  flamed  scarlet  at 
that.  "  That  fellow  is  not  a  gentleman  exactly,  and 
he  is  a  very  dangerous  acquaintance  for  any  woman 
to  make." 

"  He  is  a  friend  of  yours,"  she  interrupted. 

"  That  is  a  natural  mistake  on  your  part,"  he  re 
plied,  — "  natural,  but  still  a  mistake.  He  is  not  a 
friend  of  mine.  As  I  before  observed,  he  is  not 
exactly  a  gentleman  —  not  to  put  too  fine  a  point 
upon  it  —  from  a  moral  point  of  view.  We  won't 
discuss  the  matter  further." 

They  had  parted  bad  friends  that  night.  Mollie 
was  restive  under  his  cool  decisiveness  for  various 
reasons  ;  he  was  irritated  because  he  felt  he  had  failed, 
and  had  lost  ground  instead  of  gaining  it.  So  some 
times  since,  he  had  fancied  that  she  had  not  wholly 
forgiven  him,  and  yet  there  were  times  when  she  was 
BO  softly  submissive  that  he  felt  himself  in  some 


222  VAGABONDIA. 

slight  danger  of  being  as  much  touched  and  as  fairly 
bewitched  as  he  was  when  Dolly  turned  her  attention 
to  him.  Still  she  was  frequently  far  from  amiable, 
and  upon  more  than  one  occasion  he  found  her  not 
precisely  as  polite  as  she  might  have  been. 

"  You  are  not  as  amiable,  Mollie,"  he  said  to  her 
once,  "  as  you  used  to  be.  We  were  very  good 
friends  in  the  old  days.  I  suppose  you  are  outgrow 
ing  me.  I  should  be  afraid  to  offer  you  a  bunch  of 
camellias  now  as  a  token  of  my  affection." 

He  smiled  down  at  her  indolently  as  he  said  it, 
and  before  he  had  finished  he  began  to  feel  uncom 
fortable.  Her  eyelids  drooped  and  her  head  drooped, 
and  she  looked  sweetly  troubled. 

"  I  know  I  am  not  as  good  as  I  used  to  be,"  she 
admitted.  "I  know  it  without  being  told.  Some 
times,"  very  suddenly,  "  I  think  I  must  be  growing 
awfully  wicked." 

"  Well,"  he  commented,  "  at  least  one  must  admit 
that  is  a  promising  state  of  mind,  and  augurs  well  for 
future  repentance." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"No,  it  doesn't,"  she  answered  him,  "and  that  is 
the  bad  side  of  it.  I  am  getting  worse  every  day  of 
my  life." 

"  Is  it  safe,"  he  suggested,  cynically,  —  "  is  it  safe 
for  an  innocent  individual  to  cultivate  your  acquaint 
ance  ?  Would  it  not  be  a  good  plan  to  isolate  your- 


VAGABONDIA. 

self  from  society  until  you  feel  that  the  guileless  ones 
may  approach  you  without  fear  of  contamination  ? 
You  alarm  me." 

She  lifted  up  her  head,  her  eyes  flashing. 

"  You  are  safe,"  she  said ;  "  so  it  is  rather  premature 
to  cry  'wolf  so  soon." 

"  It  is  very  plain  that  you  are  outgrowing  me,"  he 
returned.  "Dolly  herself  could  not  have  made  a 
more  scathing  remark." 

But,  fond  as  he  was  of  tormenting  her,  he  did  not 
want  to  try  her  too  far,  and  so  he  endeavored  to 
make  friends.  But  his  efforts  at  reconciliation  were 
not  a  success.  She  was  not  to  be  coaxed  into  her 
sweet  mood  again ;  indeed  she  almost  led  him  to  fear 
that  he  had  wounded  her  irreparably  by  his  jests. 
And  yet,  when  he  at  last  consulted  his  watch,  and 
went  to  the  side-table  for  his  hat  and  gloves,  he 
turned  round  to  find  her  large  eyes  following  him  in 
a  wistful  sort  of  way. 

"  Are  you  going  ? "  she  asked  him  at  length,  a  half- 
reluctant  appeal  in  her  voice. 

"  I  am  due  at  Brabazon  Lodge  now,"  he  answered. 

She  said  no  more  after  that,  but  relapsed  into 
silence,  and  let  him  go  without  making  an  effort  to 
detain  him,  receiving  his  adieus  in  her  most  indiffer 
ent  style. 

But  she  was  cross  and  low-spirited  when  lie  was 
gone,  and  Airnee,  coming  into  the  room  with  her 


224  VAGABONDIA. 

work,  found  her  somewhat  hard  to  deal  with,  and 
indeed  was  moved  to  tell  her  so. 

"  You  are  a  most  inexplicable  girl,  Mollie,"  she 
said.  "  What  crotchet  is  troubling  you  now  ? " 

"  No  crotchet  at  all,"  she  answered,  and  then  all 
at  once  she  got  up  and  stood  before  the  mantel-glass, 
looking  at  herself  fixedly.  "  Aimee,"  she  said, "  if  you 
were  a  man,  would  you  admire  me  ? " 

Aimee  gave  her  a  glance,  and  then  answered  her 
with  sharp  frankness.  "  Yes,  I  should,"  she  said. 

She  remained  standing  for  a  few  minutes,  taking 
a  survey  of  herself,  front  view,  side  view,  and  even 
craning  her  pretty  throat  to  get  a  glimpse  of  her  back  ; 
and  then  a  pettish  sigh  burst  from  her,  arid  she  sat 
down  again  at  her  sister's  feet,  clasping  her  hands 
about  her  knees  in  a  most  unorthodox  position. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  a  great  deal  of  money,"  she 
said  after  a  while,  and  she  frowned  as  she  said  it. 

"  That  is  a  startling  observation/'  commented 
Aimee,  "and  shows  great  singularity  of  taste." 

Mollie  frowned  again,  and  shrugged .  one  shoulder, 
but  otherwise  gave  the  remark  small  notice. 

"I  should  like,"  she  proceeded,  "to  have  a  car 
riage,  and  to  live  in  a  grand  house,  and  go  to  places. 
I  should  like  to  marry  somebody  rich."  And  having 
blurted  out  this  last  confession,  she  looked  half 
ashamed  of  herself. 

"  Mollie,"  said  Aimee,  solemnly  dropping  her  hands 


VAGABOND1A.  225 

.  \ 
and  her  work  upon  her  lap,  "  I  am  beginning  to  feel 

as  Dolly  does;  I  am  beginning  to  be  afraid  you  are 
going  to  get  yourself  into  serious  trouble." 

Then  this  overgrown  baby  of  theirs,  who  had  so 
suddenly  astonished  them  all  by  dropping  her  baby 
hood  and  asserting  herself  a  woman,  said  something  so 
startling  that  the  wise  one  fairly  lost  her  breath. 

"  If  I  cannot  get  what  I  want,"  she  said,  deliber 
ately,  "I  will  take  what  I  can  get." 

"  You  are  going  out  of  your  mind,"  ejaculated 
Aimee. 

"  It  does  n't  matter  if  I  am,"  cried  the  romantic 
little  goose,  positively  crushing  the  oracle  by  breaking 
down  all  at  once,  and  flinging  herself  upon  the  hearth 
rug  in  a  burst  of  tears,  —  "  it  does  n't  matter  if  I  am. 
Who  cares  for  me  ?  " 


CHAPTEE   XL 

IN  WHICH   COMES  A  WIND   WHICH  BLOWS   NOBODY 
GOOD. 

THEEE  weeks  waited  the  wise  one,  keeping  her 
eyes  on  the  alert  and  her  small  brain  busy,  but 
preserving  an  owl-like  silence  upon  the  subject  re 
volving  in  her  mind.  But  at  the  end  of  that  time 
she  marched  into  the  parlor  one  day,  attired  for  a 
walk,  and  astonished  them  all  by  gravely  announcing 
her  intention  of  going  to  see  Dolly. 

"  What  are  you  going  for  ? "  said  Mrs.  Phil. 

"  Eather  sudden,  is  n't  it  ?  "  commented  Mollie. 

"  I  'm  going  on  business,"  returned  Aimee,  and  she 
buttoned  her  gloves  and  took  her  departure,  without 
enlightening  them  further. 

Arriving  at  Brabazon  Lodge,  she  found  Miss  Mac- 
Dowlas  out  and  Dolly  sitting  alone  in  the  parlor,  with 
a  letter  from  Griffith  in  her  hand  and  tears  in  her 
eyes. 

Her  visitor  walked  to  the  hearth,  her  face  wrink 
ling  portentously,  and  kissed  her  with  an  air  of  af 
fectionate  severity. 


VAGABONDIA.  227 

"  I  don't  know/'  she  began,  comprehending  matters 
at  a  glance,  "  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  what  I  am  to 
do  with  you  all.  You  are  in  trouble  now." 

"  Take  off  your  things,"  said  Dolly,  with  a  helpless 
little  sob,  "  and  —  and  then  I  will  tell  you  all  about 
it.  You  must  stay  and  have  tea  with  me.  Miss 
MacDowlas  is  away,  and  I  —  am  all  alone,  and  —  ands 
0  Aimee ! " 

The  hat  and  jacket  were  laid  aside  in  two  minutes, 
and  Aimee  came  back  to  her  and  knelt  down. 

"  Is  there  anything  in  your  letter  you  do  not  want 
me  to  see  ?  "  she  asked. 

"No,"  answered  Dolly,  in  despair,  and  tossed  it 
into  her  lap. 

It  was  no  new  story,  but  this  time  the  Fates  seemed 
to  have  conspired  against  her  more  maliciously  than 
usual.  A  few  days  before  Grif  had  found  himself 
terribly  dashed  in  spirit,  and  under  the  influence  of 
impulse  had  written  to  her.  Two  or  three  times  in 
one  day  he  had  heard  accidental  comments  upon 
Gowan's  attentions  to  her,  and  on  his  return  to  his 
lodgings  at  night  he  had  appealed  to  her  in  a  pas 
sionate  epistle. 

He  was  not  going  to  doubt  her  again,  he  said,  and 
he  was  struggling  to  face  the  matter  coolly,  but  he 
wanted  to  see  her.  It  would  be  worse  than  useless 
to  call  upon  her  at  the  Lodge,  and  have  an  interview 
under  the  disapproving  eyes  of  Miss  MacDowlas,  and 


228  VAGABOND1A. 

so  he  had  thought  they  might  meet  again  by  appoint 
ment,  as  they  had  done  before  by  chance.  And  Dolly 
had  acquiesced  at  once.  But  Fortune  was  against 
her.  Just  as  she  had  been  ready  to  leave  the  house, 
Ralph  Go  wan  had  made  his  appearance,  and  Miss 
MacDowlas  had  called  her  down-stairs  to  entertain 
him. 

"  I  would  not  have  cared  about  telling,"  cried  Dolly, 
in  tears,  "  but  I  could  not  tell  her,  and  so  I  had  to 
stay,  arid  —  actually  —  sing  —  Aimee.  Yes,  sing  de 
testable  love-sick  songs,  while  my  own  darling,  whom 
I  was  dying  to  go  to,  was  waiting  outside  in  the  cold. 
And  that  was  not  the  worst,  either.  He  was  just 
outside  in  the  road,  and  when  the  servants  lighted 
the  gas  he  saw  me  through  the  window.  And  I  was 
at  the  piano  "  —  in  a  burst  —  "  and  Ealph  Gowan 
was  standing  by  me.  And  so  he  went  home  and 
wrote  that!'  signifying  with  a  gesture  the  letter  Amide 
held.  "  And  everything  is  wrong  again." 

It  was  very  plain  that  everything  was  wrong  again. 
The  epistle  in  question  was  an  impetuous,  impas 
sioned  effusion  enough.  He  was  furious  against 
Gowan,  and  bitter  against  everybody  else.  She  had 
cheated  and  slighted  and  trifled  with  him  when  he 
most  needed  her  love  and  pity;  but  he  would  not 
blame  her,  he  could  only  blame  himself  for  being  such 
an  insane,  presumptuous  fool  as  to  fancy  that  any 
thing  he  had  to  offer  could  be  worthy  of  any  woman. 


VAGABONDIA.  229 

What  had  he  to  offer,  etc.,  for  half  a  dozen  almost 
illegible  pages,  dashed  and  crossed,  and  all  on  fire 
with  his  bitterness  and  pain. 

Having  taken  it  from  Aimee,  and  read  it  for 
the  twentieth  time,  Dolly  fairly  wrung  her  hands 
over  it. 

"  If  we  were  only  just  together  I "  she  cried.  "  II 
we  only  just  had  the  tiniest,  shabbiest  house  in  the 
world,  and  could  be  married  and  help  each  other ! 
He  does  n't  mean  to  be  unjust  or  unkind,  you  know, 
Airnee ;  he  would  be  more  wretched  than  I  am  if  he 
knew  how  unhappy  he  has  made  me." 

"  Ah  ! "  sighed  Aimee.  "  He  should  think  of  that 
before  he  begins." 

Then  she  regained  possession  of  the  letter,  and 
smoothed  out  its  creases  on  her  knee,  finishing  by 
folding  it  carefully  and  returning  it  to  its  envelope, 
looking  very  grave  all  the  time. 

"  Will  you  lend  me  this  ? "  she  said  at  last,  holding 
the  epistle  up. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it  ? "  asked  Dolly, 
disconsolately. 

"I  am  going  to  ask  Griffith  to  read  it  again.  I 
shall  be  sure  to  see  him  to-morrow  night." 

"Very  well,"  answered  Dolly;  "but  don't  be  too 
hard  upon  him,  Aiinee.  He  has  a  great  deal  to 
bear." 

"  I  know  that,"  said  Aimee.     "  And  sometimes  he 


230  VAGABONDIA. 

bears  it  very  well ;  but  just  now  lie  needs  a  little 
advice." 

Troubled  as  she  was,  Dolly  laughed  at  the  staid 
expression  on  her  small,  discreet  face ;  but  even  as 
she  laughed  she  caught  the  child  in  her  arms  and 
kissed  her. 

"  What  should  we  do  without  you!  "  she  exclaimed. 
"We  need  some  one  to  keep  us  all  straight,  we 
Vagabonds ;  but  it  seems  queer  that  such  a  small 
wiseacre  as  you  should  be  our  controlling  power." 

The  mere  sight  of  the  small  wiseacre  had  a  corn- 
forting  effect  upon  her.  Her  spirits  began  to  rise, 
and  she  so  far  recovered  herself  as  to  be  able  to  look 
matters  in  the  face  more  cheerfully.  There  was  so 
much  to  talk  about,  and  so  many  questions  to  ask, 
that  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  remain  dejected 
and  uninterested.  It  was  not  until  after  tea,  however, 
that  Aimee  brought  her  "  business  "  upon  the  carpet. 
She  had  thought  it  best  not  to  introduce  the  subject 
during  the  earlier  part  of  the  evening ;  but  when  the 
tea-tray  was  removed,  and  they  found  themselves 
alone  again,  she  settled  down,  and  applied  herself  at 
once  to  the  work  before  her. 

"  I  have  not  told  you  yet  what  I  came  here  for 
this  afternoon,"  she  said. 

"You  don't  mean  to  intimate  that  you  did  not 
come  to  see  me  !  "  said  Dolly. 

"  I  came  to  see  you,  of  course,"  decidedly ;  "  but  I 


VAGABONDIA.  231 

came  to  see  you  for  a  purpose.  I  came  to  talk  to 
you  about  Mollie." 

Dolly  almost  turned  pale. 

"  Mollie  ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  What  is  the  trouble 
about  Mollie  ?" 

"Something  that  puzzles  me,"  was  the  answer. 
"Dolly,  do  you  know  anything  about  Gerald  Chandos  ?" 

"  What ! "  said  Dolly.  "  It  is  Gerald  Chandos,  is 
it  ?  He  is  not  a  fit  companion  for'  her,  I  know  that 
much." 

And  then  she  repeated,  word  for  word,  the  conver 
sation  she  had  had  with  Ealph  Gowan. 

Having  listened  to  the  end,  Aimee  shook  her  head. 

"  I  like  Mr.  Gowan  well  enough,"  she  said,  "  but 
he  has  been  the  cause  of  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
among  us,  without  meaning  to  be,  and  I  am  afraid 
it  is  not  at  an  end  yet." 

They  were  both  silent  for  a  few  moments  after 
this,  and  then  Dolly,  looking  up,  spoke  with  a  touch 
of  reluctance. 

"  I  dare  say  you  can  answer  me  a  question  I  should 
like  to  ask  you  ? "  she  said. 

"  If  it  is  about  Mollie,  I  think  I  can,"  Aimee 
returned. 

"  You  have  been  with  her  so  long,"  Dolly  went  on, 
two  tiny  lines  showing  themselves  upon  her  forehead 
tliis  time,  "and  you  are  so  quick  at  seeing  things, 
that  you  must  know  what  there  is  to  know.  And 


232  VAGABONDIA. 

yet  it  hardly  seems  fair  to  ask.  Ealph  Go  wan  goes 
to  Bloomsbury  Place  often,  does  he  not  ? " 

"  He  goes  very  often,  and  he  seems  to  care  more 
for  Mollie  than  for  any  of  the  rest  of  us." 

"Aimee,"  Dolly  said  next,  "does  —  this  is  my 
question  —  does  Mollie  care  for  him  ? " 

"  Yes,  she  does,"  answered  Aimee.  "  She  cares  for 
him  so  much  that  she  is  making  herself  miserable 
about  him." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  cried  Dolly.     "  What  —  " 

Aimee  interrupted  her. 

"  And  that  is  not  the  worst.  The  fact  is,  Dolly,  I 
don't  know  what  to  make  of  her.  If  it  was  any  one 
but  Mollie,  or  if  Mollie  was  a  bit  less  innocent  and 
impetuous,  I  should  not  be  so  much  afraid ;  but  some 
times  she  is  angry  with  herself,  and  sometimes  she  is 
angry  with  him,  and  sometimes  she  is  both,  and  then 
I  should  not  be  surprised  at  her  doing  anything  inno 
cent  and  frantic.  Poor  child  I  It  is  my  impression 
she  has  about  half  made  up  her  mind  to  the  desperate 
resolve  of  making  a  grand  marriage.  She  said  as 
much  the  other  night,  and  I  think  that  is  why  she 
encourages  Mr.  Chandos." 

"  Oh,  dear,"  cried  Dolly,  again.  "  And  does  she 
think  he  wants  to  marry  her  ? " 

"  She  knows  he  makes  violent  love  to  her,  and  she 
is  not  worldly-wise  enough  to  know  that  Lord  Bur- 
leighs  are  out  of  date." 


VAGABOND1A.  233 

"  Out  of  date  ! "  said  Dolly  ;  "  I  doubt  if  they  ever 
were  in  date.  Men  like  Mr.  Gerald  Chaudos  would 
hesitate  at  marrying  Venus  from  Bloomsbury  Place." 

"  If  it  was  Ralph  Gowan,"  suggested  Aimee. 

"  But  Ralph  Gowan  is  n't  like  Chandos,"  Dolly  re 
turned,  astutely.  "  He  is  worth  ten  thousand  of  him. 
I  wish  he  would  fall  in  love  with  Mollie  and  marry 
her.  Poor  Mollie !  Poor,  pretty,  headlong  little 
goose !  What  are  we  to  do  with  her  ? " 

"  Mr.  Gowan  is  very  fond  of  her,  in  a  way,"  said 
Aimee.  "  If  he  did  not  care  a  little  for  you  —  " 

"  I  wish  he  did  not ! "  sighed  Dolly.  "  But  it 
serves  me  right,"  with  candor.  "  He  would  never 
have  thought  of  me  again  if  I  —  well,  if  I  had  n't 
found  things  so  dreadfully  dull  at  that  Bilberry  clan 
gathering." 

"  '  If,'  "  moralized  Aime'e,  significantly.  " '  If '  is  n't 
a  wise  word,  and  it  often  gets  you  into  trouble,  Dolly. 
'  If '  you  had  n't,  it  would  have  been  better  for  Grif, 
as  well ;  but  what  cannot  be  cured  must  be  endured." 

Their  long  talk  ended,  however,  in  Dolly's  great 
encouragement.  It  was  agreed  that  the  family  oracle 
was  to  bring  Griffith  to  his  senses  by  means  of  some 
slight  sisterly  reproof,  and  that  she  was  to  take  Mol 
lie  in  hand  discreetly  at  once  and  persuade  her  to 
enter  the  confessional. 

"  She  has  altered  a  great  deal,  and  has  grown  much 
older  and  more  self-willed  lately/'  said  Aimee ;  "  but 


234  VAGABOND1A. 

if  I  am  very  straightforward  and  take  her  by  sur 
prise,  I  scarcely  think  she  will  be  able  to  conceal 
much  from  me,  and,  at  least,  I  shall  be  able  to  show 
her  that  her  fancies  are  romantic  and  unpractical." 

She  did  not  waste  any  time  before  applying  herself 
to  her  work,  when  she  went  home.  Instead  of  going 
to  Bloomsbury  Place  at  once,  she  stopped  at  Griffith's 
lodgings  on  her  way,  and  rather  scandalized  his  land 
lady  by  requesting  to  be  shown  into  his  parlor. 
Only  the  grave  simplicity  of  the  small,  slight  figure 
in  its  gray  cloak,  and  the  steadfast  seriousness  in  the 
pretty  face  reconciled  the  worthy  matron  to  the  idea 
of  admitting  her  without  investigation.  But  Aimee 
bore  her  scrutiny  very  calmly.  The  whole  family  of 
them  had  taken  tea  in  the  little  sitting-room  with 
Griffith,  upon  one  or  two  occasions,  so  she  was  not 
at  all  at  a  loss,  although  she  did  not  find  herself 
recognized. 

"  I  am  one  of  Mr.  Crewe's  sisters,"  she  said ;  and 
that,  of  course,  was  quite  enough.  Mrs.  Cripps  knew 
Mr.  Crewe  as  well  as  she  knew  Grif  himself,  so  she 
stepped  back  into  the  narrow  passage  at  once,  and 
even  opened  the  parlor  door,  and  announced  the  vis 
itor  in  a  way  that  made  poor  Grif's  heart  beat. 

"  One  of  Mr.  Crewe's  sisters,"  she  said. 

He  had  been  sitting  glowering  over  the  fire,  with 
his  head  on  his  hands  and  his  elbows  on  his  knees, 
and  when  he  started  up  he  looked  quite  haggard  and 


VAGABONDIA.  235 

dishevelled.  Was  it  —  could  it  be  Dolly  ?  He  knew 
it  could  not  be,  but  lie  turned  pale  at  the  thought. 
It  would  have  been  such  rapture,  in  his  present  frame 
of  mind,  to  have  poured  out  his  misery  and  distrust, 
and  then  to  have  clasped  her  to  his  heart  before  she 
had  time  to  explain.  He  was  just  in  that  wretched, 
passionate,  relenting,  remorseful  stage. 

But  it  was  only  Aimee,  in  her  gray  cloak ;  and  as 
the  door  closed  behind  her,  that  small  person  ad 
vanced  toward  him,  crumpling  her  white  forehead 
and  looking  quite  disturbed  at  the  mere  sight  of  him. 
She  held  up  a  reproachful  finger  at  him  warningly. 

"  I  knew  it  would  be  just  this  way,"  she  said. 
"  And  you  are  paler  and  more  miserable  than  ever. 
If  you  and  Dolly  would  just  be  more  practical  and 
reason  more  for  each  other,  instead  of  falling  head 
long  into  quarrels  and  making  everything  up  head 
long  every  ten  minutes,  how  much  better  it  would 
be  for  you  !  If  I  was  not  so  fond  of  you  both,  you 
would  be  the  greatest  trials  I  have." 

He  was  so  glad  to  see  the  thoughtful,  womanly 
little  creature,  that  he  could  have  caught  her  up  in 
his  arms,  gray  cloak  and  all,  and  have  kissed  her 
only  a  tithe  less  impetuously  than  he  would  have 
kissed  Dolly.  He  was  one  of  the  most  faithful 
worshippers  at  her  shrine,  and  her  pretty  wisdom 
and  unselfishness  had  won  her  many.  He  drew  the 
easiest  chair  up  to  the  fire  for  her,  and  made  her  sit 


236  VAGABONDIA. 

down  and  warm  her  feet  on  the  fender,  while  she 
talked  to  him,  and  he  listened  to  her  every  word,  as 
he  always  did. 

"  I  have  been  to  see  Dolly,"  she  said,  "  and  I  found 
her  crying,  —  all  by  herself  and  crying."  And  she 
paused  to  note  the  effect  of  her  words. 

His  heart  gave  a  great  thump.  It  always  did  give 
a  hard  thump  when  he  thought  of  Dolly  as  she 
looked  when  she  cried,  —  a  soft,  limp  little  bundle  of 
pathetic  prettiness,  covering  her  dear  little  face  in 
her  hands,  shedding  such  piteous,  impassioned  tears, 
and  refusing  to  be  kissed  or  comforted.  Dolly  sob 
bing  on  his  shoulder  was  so  different  from  the 
coquettish,  shrewd,  mock-worldly  Dolly  other  people 
saw. 

Aimee  put  her  hand  into  her  dress-pocket  under 
the  gray  cloak  and  produced  her  letter,  —  took  it  out 
of  its  envelope,  laid  it  on  her  knee,  and  smoothed  out 
its  creases  again. 

"  She  was  crying  over  this  letter,"  she  proceeded,  — 
"your  letter;  the  one  you  wrote  to  her  when  I  think 
you  cannot  have  been  quite  calm  enough  to  write 
anything.  I  think  you  cannot  have  read  it  over 
before  sending  it  away.  It  is  always  best  to  read  a 
letter  twice  before  posting  it.  So  I  have  brought  it 
to  you  to  read  again,  and  there  it  is,"  giving  it  to 
him. 

He  burst  forth  with  the  story  of  his  wrongs,  of 


VAGABONDIA.  237 

course,  then.  He  could  not  keep  it  in  any  longer. 
Things  had  gone  wrong  with  him  in  every  way 
before  this  had  happened,  he  said,  and  he  had  longed 
so  for  just  one  hour  in  which  Dolly  could  comfort  him 
and  try  to  help  him  to  pluck  up  spirits  again,  and 
she  had  written  to  him  a  tender  little  letter,  and 
promised  to  give  him  that  hour,  and  he  had  been  so 
full  of  impatience  and  love,  and  he  had  gone  to  the 
very  gates  and  waited  like  a  beggar  outside,  lest  he 
should  miss  her  by  any  chance,  and  the  end  of  his 
waiting  had  been  that  he  had  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  bright,  warm  room,  and  the  piano,  and  Dolly 
with  Gowan  bending  over  her  as  if  she  had  no  other 
lover  in  the  world.  He  told  it  all  in  a  burst,  clench 
ing  his  hand  and  scarcely  stopping  for  breath;  but 
when  he  ended  he  dashed  the  letter  down,  pushed 
his  chair  round,  and  dropped  his  head  on  his  folded 
arms  on  the  table,  with  a  wild,  tearing  sob. 

"  It  is  no  fault  of  hers,"  he  cried,  "  and  it  was  only 
the  first  sting  that  made  me  reproach  her.  I  shall 
never  do  it  again.  She  is  only  in  the  right,  and  that 
fellow  is  in  the  right  when  he  tells  himself  that  he 
can  take  better  care  of  her  and  make  her  happier 
than  I  can.  I  will  be  a  coward  no  longer,  —  not  an 
hour  longer.  I  will  give  her  up  to-night.  She  will 
learn  to  love  him  —  he  is  a  gentleman  at  least  —  if  I 
were  in  his  place  I  should  never  fear  that  she  would 
not  learn  in  time,  and  forget  —  and  forget  the  poor, 


238  VAGABONDIA. 

selfish  beggar  who  would  have  died  for  her,  and  yet 
was  not  man  enough  to  control  the  jealous  rage  that 
tortured  her.  I  '11  give  her  up.  I  '11  give  it  all  up 
—  but,  oh  !  my  God !  Dolly,  the  —  the  little  house, 
and  —  and  the  dreams  I  have  had  about  it ! " 

Aimee  was  almost  in  despair.  This  was  not  one 
of  his  ordinary  moods ;  this  was  the  culminating 
point,  —  the  culmination  of  all  his  old  sufferings  and 
pangs.  He  had  been  working  slowly  toward  this 
through  all  the  old  unhappiness  and  self-reproach. 
The  constant  droppings  of  the  bygone  years  had 
worn  away  the  stone  at  last,  and  he  could  not  bear 
much  more.  Aimee  was  frightened  now.  Her  habit 
of  forethought  showed  her  all  this  in  a  very  few 
seconds.  His  nervous,  highly  strung,  impassioned 
temperament  had  broken  down  at  last.  Another 
blow  would  be  too  much  for  him.  If  she  could  not 
manage  to  set  him  right  now  and  calm  him,  and  if 
things  went  wrong  again,  she  was  secretly  conscious 
of  feeling  that  the  consequences  could  not  be  fore 
seen.  There  was  nothing  wild  and  rash  and  wretched 
he  might  not  do. 

She  got  up  and  went  to  him,  and  leaned  upon  the 
table,  clasping  her  cool,  firm  little  hand  upon  his  hot, 
desperate  one.  A  woman  of  fifty  could  not  have  had 
the  power  over  him  that  this  slight,  inexperienced  little 
creature  had.  Her  childish  face  caught  color  and 
life  and  strength  in  her  determination  to  do  her  best 


VAGABONDIA.  239 

for  these  two  whom  she  loved  so  well.  Her  small- 
boned,  fragile  figure  deceived  people  into  undervalu 
ing  her  reserve  forces ;  but  there  was  mature  feeling 
and  purpose  enough  in  her  to  have  put  many  a  woman 
three  times  her  age  to  shame.  The  light,  cool  touch 
of  her  hand  soothed  and  controlled  Griffith  from  the 
first,  and  when  she  put  forth  all  her  powers  of  reason 
ing,  and  set  his  trouble  before  him  in  a  more  practical 
and  less  headlong  way,  not  a  word  was  lost  upon  him. 
She  pictured  Dolly  to  him  just  as  she  had  found  her 
holding  his  letter  in  her  hand,  and  she  pictured  her 
too  as  she  had  really  been  the  night  he  watched 
her  through  the  window,  —  not  staying  because  she 
cared  for  Go  wan,  but  because  circumstances  had 
forced  her  to  remain  when  she  was  longing  in  her  own 
impetuous  pretty  way  to  fly  to  him,  and  give  him  the 
comfort  he  needed.  And  she  gave  Dolly's  story  in 
Dolly's  own  words,  with  the  little  sobs  between,  and 
the  usual  plentiful  sprinkling  of  sweet,  foolish,  loving 
epithets,  and  —  with  innocent  artfulness  —  made  her 
seem  so  charming  and  affectionate,  a  little  centre- 
figure  in  the  picture  she  drew,  that  no  man  with  a 
heart  in  his  breast  could  have  resisted  her,  and  by 
the  time  Amide  had  finished,  Grif  was  so  far  moved 
that  it  seemed  a  sheer  impossibility  to  speak  again  of 
relinquishing  his  claims. 

But  he  could  not  regain  his  spirits  sufficiently  to 
feel  able  to  say  very  much.     He  quieted  down,  but 


240  VAGABONDIA. 

he  was  still  down  at  heart  and  crushed  in  feeling,  and 
could  do  little  else  but  listen  in  a  hopeless  sort  of  way. 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  you  shall  do,"  Aimee  said  at 
last.  "  You  shall  see  Dolly  yourself,  —  not  on  the 
street,  but  just  as  you  used  to  see  her  when  she  was 
at  home.  She  shall  come  home  some  afternoon.  I 
know  Miss  MacDowlas  will  let  her,  —  and  you  shall 
sit  in  the  parlor  together,  Grif,  and  make  everything 
straight,  and  begin  afresh." 

He  could  not  help  being  roused  somewhat  by  such 
a  prospect.  The  cloud  was  lifted  for  one  instant, 
even  if  it  fell  upon  him  again  the  next. 

"I  shall  have  to  wait  a  week,"  he  said.  "Old 
Flynn  has  asked  me  to  go  to  Dartmouth,  to  attend 
to  some  business  for  him,  and  I  leave  here  to-morrow 
morning." 

"  Very  well ! "  she  answered.  "  If  we  must  wait  a 
week,  we  must ;  but  you  can  write  to  Dolly  in  the 
interval,  and  settle  upon  the  day,  and  then  she  can 
speak  to  Miss  MacDowlas." 

He  agreed  to  the  plan  at  once,  and  promised  to  write 
to  Dolly  that  very  night.  So  the  young  peacemaker's 
mind  was  set  at  rest  upon  this  subject,  at  least,  and 
after  giving  him  a  trifle  more  advice,  and  favoring 
him  with  a  few  more  sage  axioms,  she  prepared  to 
take  her  departure. 

"You  may  put  on  your  hat  and  take  me  to  the 
door ;  but  you  had  better  not  come  in  if  you  are  going 


VAGABOND1A.  241 

to  finish  your  letter  before  the  post  closes,"  she  said  ; 
"  but  the  short  walk  will  do  you  good,  and  the  night- 
air  will  cool  you." 

She  bade  him  good-night  at  the  gate  when  they 
reached  Bloomsbury  Place,  and  she  entered  the  house 
with  her  thoughts  turning  to  Mollie.  Mollie  had 
been  out,  too,  it  seemed.  When  she  went  up-stairs 
to  their  bedroom,  she  found  her  there,  standing 
before  the  dressing-table,  still  with  her  hat  on,  and 
looking  in  evident  preoccupation  at  something  she 
held  in  her  hand.  Hearing  Aimee,  she  started  and 
turned  round,  dropping  her  hand  at  her  side,  but  not 
in  time  to  hide  a  suspicious  glitter  which  caught  her 
sister's  eye.  Here  was  a  worse  state  of  affairs  than 
ever.  She  had  something  to  hide,  and  she  had  made 
up  her  mind  to  hide  it.  She  stood  up  as  Aimee 
approached,  looking  excited  and  guilty,  but  still  half- 
defiant,  her  lovely  head  tossed  back  a  little  and  an 
obstinate  curve  on  her  red  lips.  But  the  oracle  was 
not  to  be  daunted.  She  confronted  her  with  quite  a 
stern  little  air. 

"Mollie,"  she  began  at  once,  without  the  least 
hesitation,  —  "  Mollie,  you  have  just  this  minute  hid 
den  something  from  me,  and  I  should  n't  have  thought 
you  could  do  it." 

Mollie  put  her  closed  hand  behind  her. 

"  If  I  am  hiding  something,"  she  answered,  "  I  am 
not  hiding  it  without  reason." 

16 


242  VAGABONDIA. 

"  No,"  returned  Dame  Prudence,  severely,  "  you  are 
not.  You  have  a  very  good  reason,  I  am  afraid. 
You  are  ashamed  of  yourself,  and  you  know  you  are 
doing  wrong.  You  have  got  a  secret,  which  you  are 
keeping  from  me,  Mollie,"  bridling  a  little  in  the 
prettiest  way.  "I  didn't  think  you  would  keep  a 
secret  from  me" 

Mollie,  very  naturally,  was  overpowered.  She 
looked  a  trifle  ashamed  of  herself,  and  the  tears  came 
into  her  eyes.  She  drew  her  hand  from  behind  her 
back,  and  held  it  out  with  a  half-pettish,  half-timid 
gesture. 

"  There  ! "  she  said  ;  "  if  you  must  see  it." 

And  there,  on  her  pink  palm,  lay  a  shining  opal 
ring. 

"  And,"  said  Aimee,  looking  at  it  without  offering 
to  touch  it,  and  then  looking  at  her,  —  "  and  Mr.  Gerald 
Chandos  gave  it  to  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos  did,"  trying  to  brave  it 
out,  but  still  appearing  the  reverse  of  comfortable. 

"  And  you  think  it  proper,"  proceeded  her  inquis 
itor,  "  to  accept  such  presents  from  a  gentleman  who 
cares  nothing  for  you  ? " 

Care  nothing  for  her!  Mollie  drew  herself  upright, 
with  the  air  of  a  Zenobia.  She  had  had  too  few  real 
love  affairs  not  to  take  arms  at  once  at  such  an  impu 
tation  cast  upon  her  prowess. 

"He  cares  enough  for  me  to  want  me  to  marry 


VAGABONDIA.  243 

him,"  she  said,  and  then  stopped  and  looked  as  if  she 
could  have  bitten  her  tongue  off  for  betraying  her. 

Aimee  sat  down  in  the  nearest  chair  and  stared  at 
her,  as  if  she  doubted  the  evidence  of  her  senses. 

"To  do  what  ?"  she  demanded. 

There  was  no  use  in  trying  to  conceal  the  truth  any 
longer.  Mollie  saw  that  much ;  and  besides  this,  her 
feelings  were  becoming  too  strong  for  her  from  vari 
ous  causes.  The  afternoon  had  been  an  exciting  one 
to  her,  too.  So,  all  at  once,  so  suddenly  that  Aimee 
was  altogether  unprepared  for  the  outbreak,  she 
gave  way.  The  ring  fell  unheeded  on  to  the  carpet, 
slipped  from  her  hand  and  rolled  away,  and  the  next 
instant  she  went  down  upon  her  knees,  hiding  her 
face  on  her  arms  on  Aimee's  lap,  and  began  to  cry 
hysterically. 

"  It  —  it  is  to  be  quite  a  secret,"  she  sobbed.  "  I 
would  not  tell  anybody  but  you,  and  I  dare  not  tell 
you  quite  all,  but  he  has  asked  me  to  marry  him, 
Aimee,  and  I  have — I  have  said  yes."  And  then 
she  cried  more  than  ever,  and  caught  Aimee's  hand, 
and  clung  to  it  with  a  desperate,  childish  grasp,  as  if 
she  was  frightened. 

It  was  very  evident  that  she  was  frightened,  too. 
All  the  newly  assumed  womanliness  was  gone.  It 
was  the  handsome,  inexperienced,  ignorant  child 
Mollie  she  had  known  all  her  life  who  was  clinging 
to  her,  Aimee  felt,  —  the  pretty,  simple,  thoughtless 


244  VAGABONDIA. 

Mollie  they  had  all  admired  and  laughed  at,  and 
teased  and  been  fond  of.  She  seemed  to  have  become 
a  child  again  all  at  once,  and  she  was  in  trouble  and 
desperate,  it  was  plain. 

"  But  the  very  idea  ! "  exclaimed  Aimee,  inwardly  ; 
"  the  bare  idea  of  her  having  the  courage  to  engage 
herself  to  him  ! " 

"  I  tiever  heard  such  a  thing  in  my  life/'  she  said, 
aloud.  "  Oh,  Mollie  !  Mollie  !  what  induced  you  to 
give  him  such  a  mad  answer  ?  You  don't  care  for 
him." 

"  He  —  he  would  not  take  any  other  answer,  and 
he  is  as  nice  as  any  one  else,"  shamefacedly.  "  He 
is  nicer  than  Brown  and  the  others,  and  —  I  do  like 
him  —  a  little,"  but  a  tiny  shudder  crept  over  her,  and 
she  held  her  listener's  hand  more  tightly. 

"  As  nice  as  any  one  else  ! "  echoed  Aimee,  indig 
nantly.  "  Nicer  than  Brown  !  You  ought  to  be  in 
leading-strings  ! "  with  pathetic  hopelessness,  "  That 
was  n't  your  only  reason,  Mollie." 

The  hat  with  the  short  crimson  feather  had  been 
unceremoniously  pushed  off,  and  hung  by  its  elastic 
upon  Mollie' s  neck ;  the  pretty  curly  hair  was  all 
crushed  into  a  heap,  and  the  flushed,  tear- wet  face 
was  hidden  in  the  folds  of  Aimee's  dress.  There  was 
a  charming,  foolish,  fanciful  side  to  Mollie's  des 
peration,  as  there  was  to  all  her  moods. 

"  That  was  not  your  only  reason,"  repeated  Aimee. 


VAGABOND1A.  245 

One  impetuous,  unhappy  little  sob,  and  the  poor 
simple  child  confessed  against  her  will. 

"  Nobody  —  nobody  else  cared  for  me  !  "  she  cried. 

"  Nobody  ?  "  said  Airnee ;  and  then,  making  up  her 
mind  to  go  to  the  point  at  once,  she  said,  "  Does  '  no 
body  '  mean  that  Ealph  Go  wan  did  not,  Mollie  ? " 

The  clinging  hand  was  snatched  away,  and  the 
child  quite  writhed. 

"  I  hate  Ealph  Gowan  ! "  she  cried.  "  I  detest  him  ! 
I  wish  —  I  wish  —  I  wish  I  had  never  seen  him  ! 
Why  could  n't  he  stay  away  among  his  own  people  ? 
Nobody  wanted  him.  Dolly  does  n't  care  for  him, 
and  Grif  hates  him.  Why  could  n't  he  stay  where 
he  was?" 

There  was  no  need  to  doubt  after  this,  of  course. 
Her  love  for  Ealph  Gowan  had  rendered  her  restless 
and  despairing,  and  so  she  had  worked  out  this  inno 
cent  romance,  intending  to  defend  herself  against  him. 
The  heroines  of  her  favorite  novels  married  for  money 
when  they  could  not  marry  for  love,  and  why  should 
not  she  ?  Eemember,  she  was  only  seventeen,  and 
had  been  brought  up  in  Vagabondia  among  people 
who  did  not  often  regard  consequences.  Mr.  Gerald 
Chandos  was  rich,  made  violent  love  to  her,  and  was 
ready  to  promise  anything,  it  appeared,  —  not  that 
she  demanded  much  ;  the  Lord  Burleighs  of  her  ex 
perience  invariably  showered  jewels  and  equipages 
and  fine  raiment  upon  their  brides  without  being 


246  VAGABONDIA. 

asked.  She  would  have  thought  it  positive  bliss  to 
be  tied  to  Ralph  Go  wan  for  six  or  seven  years  with 
out  any  earthly  prospect  of  ever  being  married ;  to 
have  belonged  to  him  as  Dolly  belonged  to  Grif,  to 
sit  in  the  parlor  and  listen  to  him  while  he  made  love 
to  her  as  Grif  made  love  to  Dolly,  would  have  been 
quite  enough  steady-going  rapture  for  her  ;  but  since 
that  was  out  of  the  question,  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos 
and  diamonds  and  a  carriage  would  have  to  fill  up 
the  blank. 

But,  of  course,  she  did  not  say  this  to  Aimee.  In 
fact,  after  her  first  burst  of  excitement  subsided, 
Aimee  could  not  gain  much  from  her.  She  cried  a 
little  more,  and  then  seemed  vexed  with  herself,  and 
tried  to  cool  down,  and  at  last  so  far  succeeded  that 
she  sat  up  and  pushed  her  tangled  hair  from  her  wet, 
hot  face,  and  began  to  search  for  the  ring. 

<f  It  has  got  a  diamond  in  the  centre,"  she  said,  try 
ing  to  speak  indifferently.  "  I  don't  believe  you  looked 
at  it.  The  opals  are  splendid,  too." 

"  Are  you  going  to  wear  it  ? "  asked  Aimee. 

She  colored  up  to  her  forehead.  "  No,  I  am  not," 
she  answered.  "  I  should  have  worn  it  before  if  I 
had  intended  to  let  people  see  it.  I  told  you  it  was 
a  secret.  I  have  had  this  ring  three  or  four  days." 

"  Why  is  it  a  secret  ? "  demanded  Dame  Prudence. 
"  I  don't  believe  in  secrets,  —  particularly  in  secret 
engagements.  Is  n't  Phil  to  know  ? " 


VAGABONDIA.  247 

She  turned  away  to  put  the  ring  into  its  case. 

"  Not  yet,"  she  replied,  pettishly.  "  Time  enough 
when  it  can't  be  helped.  It  is  a  secret,  I  tell  you; 
and  I  don't  care  about  everybody's  talking  it  over." 

And  she  would  say  no  more. 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

IN  WHICH   THERE   IS  AN   EXPLOSION. 

"T"T  is  my  impression,"  said  Dolly,  "  that  something 
-*t  is  going  to  happen." 

She  was  not  in  the  best  of  spirits.  She  could  not 
have  explained  why.  Griffith  was  safe,  at  least,  though 
he  had  been  detained  a  week  longer  than  he  had  an 
ticipated,  and  consequently  their  meeting  would  have 
to  be  deferred;  but  though  this  had  been  a  disap 
pointment,  Dolly  was  used  to  such  disappointments, 
and  besides  the  most  formidable  part  of  the  waiting- 
was  over,  for  it  was  settled  now  that  he  would  be 
home  in  two  days.  It  was  Tuesday  now,  and  on 
Thursday  he  was  to  return,  and  she  was  going  to 
Bloomsbury  Place  in  the  afternoon,  and  he  was  to 
join  the  family  tea  as  he  had  used  to  do  in  the  old 
times.  But  still  she  did  not  feel  quite  easy.  She 
was  restless  and  uncomfortable  in  spite  of  herself,  and 
was  conscious  of  being  troubled  by  a  vague  presenti 
ment  of  evil. 

"It  is  not  like  me  to  be  blue,"  she  said  to  herself; 


VAGADONDIA.  249 

"  but  I  am  blue  to-day.  I  wonder  what  is  going  on 
at  home." 

Then,  as  was  quite  natural,  her  thoughts  wandered 
to  Mollie,  and  she  began  to  ponder  upon  what  Aimee 
had  told  her.  How  were  matters  progressing,  and 
what  was  going  to  be  the  end  of  it  all  ?  The  child's 
danger  was  plainer  to  her  than  it  was  to  Aimee  ;  and, 
fond  as  she  was  of  Mollie,  she  had  determined  to 
improve  the  occasion  of  her  visit  home,  by  taking  the 
fair  delinquent  aside  and  administering  a  sound  lec 
ture  to  her.  She  would  tell  her  the  truth,  at  least, 
and  try  to  open  her  innocent  eyes  to  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Gerald  Chandos  was  not  a  man  of  the  King 
Cophetua  stamp,  and  that  there  was  neither  romance 
nor  poetry  in  allowing  such  a  man  to  amuse  himself 
at  her  expense. 

Poor  Mollie  !  It  would  be  a  humiliating  view  to 
take  of  a  first  conquest,  but  it  would  be  the  best  thing 
for  her  in  the  end.  Dolly  sighed  over  the  mere  pros 
pect  of  the  task  before  her.  She  remembered  what 
her  first  conquest  had  been,  and  how  implicitly  she 
had  believed  in  her  new  power,  and  how  trustingly 
she  had  swallowed  every  sugared  nothing,  and  how 
she  had  revelled  in  the  field  of  possible  romance 
which  had  seemed  spread  before  her,  until  she  had 
awakened  one  fine  day  to  find  the  first  flush  of  her 
triumph  fading,  and  her  adorer  losing  his  attractions 
and  becoming  rather  tame.  That  had  been  long  ago, 


250  VAGABONDIA. 

even  before  Griffith's  time,  but  she  had  not  forgotten 
the  experience,  and  she  knew  it  would  have  been  a 
severe  shock  to  her  innocent  self-love  and  self-gratu- 
lation,  if  any  one  had  hinted  to  her  that  there  was  a 
doubt  of  her  captive's  honesty.  She  was  roused  from 
her  reverie  by  a  message  from  Miss  MacDowlas.  It 
was  only  a  commonplace  sort  of  message.  There 
were  some  orders  to  be  left  at  the  poulterer's  and 
fruiterer's,  and  some  bills  to  be  paid  in  town,  and, 
these  affairs  being  her  business,  Miss  MacDowlas  had 
good-naturedly  ordered  the  carriage  for  her,  as  she 
had  a  long  round  to  make. 

Dolly  got  up  and  laid  her  work  aside.  She  was 
not  sorry  for  the  opportunity  of  going  out,  so  she  ran 
up-stairs  with  some  alacrity  to  put  on  her  hat,  and, 
having  dressed,  went  to  Miss  MacDowlas  for  more 
particular  instructions. 

"  You  are  looking  rather  pale  and  the  drive  will  do 
you  good,"  said  that  lady.  "  Call  at  Pullet's  and  pay 
his  bill,  and  order  the  things  on  his  list  first.  By  the 
way,  it  was  when  I  drove  round  to  give  orders  to 
Pullet  the  other  day,  that  I  saw  your  pretty  sister 
with  Gerald  Chandos.  She  is  too  pretty,  far  too 
pretty,  and  far  too  young  and  inexperienced,  to  be 
giving  private  interviews  to  such  people  as  Gerald 
Chandos,"  sharply. 

"  Private  !  "  repeated  Dolly,  with  some  indignation. 
"  I  think  that  is  a  mistake.  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos  has 


VAGABONDIA.  251 

no  need  to  make  his  interview  private.  Tlie  doors 
are  open  to  him  at  Bloomsbury  Place  so  long  as  he 
behaves  himself." 

"  The  more  is  the  pity/'  answered  Miss  MacDowlas  ; 
"  but  that  this  was  a  private  interview  I  am  cer 
tain.  My  pretty  Miss  Innocence  came  up  the 
street  slowly  with  her  handsome  baby-face  on  fire, 
and  two  minutes  later  Gerald  Chandos  followed  her 
in  a  wondrous  hurry,  and  joined  her  and  carried  her 
off,  looking  very  guilty  and  charming,  and  a  trifle 
reluctant,  I  must  admit." 

Dolly's  cheeks  flushed,  and  her  heart  began  to  beat 
hotly.  If  this  was  the  case  it  was  simply  disgrace 
ful,  and  Miss  Mollie  was  allowing  herself  to  be  led 
too  far. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  this,"  she  said  to  Miss  Mac- 
Dowlas,  "  but  I  am  indebted  to  you  for  telling  me.  I 
will  •  attend  to  it  when  I  go  home  on  Thursday,  and," 
with  a  flash  of  fire,  "  if  it  is  needful  I  will  attend  to 
Mr.  Gerald  Chaudos  himself." 

She  entered  the  carriage,  feeling  hot  with  anger 
and  distress.  She  had  not  expected  such  a  blow, 
even  though  she  had  told  herself  that  she  was  pre 
pared  to  hear  of  any  romantic  imprudence.  And 
then  in  the  midst  of  her  anger  she  began  to  pity 
Mollie,  as  it  seemed  natural  to  pity  her  always  when 
she  was  indiscreet.  Who  had  ever  taught  her  to  be 
discreet,  poor  child  ?  Had  she  herself  ?  No,  she  had 


252  VAGABONDIA. 

not.  She  had  been  fond  of  her  and  proud  of  her 
beauty,  but  she  had  laughed  at  her  unsophisticated, 
thoughtless  way  with  the  rest,  and  somehow  they  had 
all  looked  upon  her  as  they  looked  upon  Tod,  —  as 
rather  a  good  joke.  Dolly  quite  hated  herself  as 
she  remembered  how  she  had  related  her  own  little 
escapades  for  the  edification  of  the  family  circle,  and 
how  Mollie  had  enjoyed  them  more  than  any  one 
else.  She  had  never  overstepped  the  actual  bounds 
of  propriety  herself,  but  she  had  been  coquettish  and 
fond  of  admiration,  and  had  delighted  to  hold  her  own 
against  the  world. 

"  I  was  n't  a  good  example  to  her ! "  she  cried,  re 
morsefully.  "  She  ought  to  have  had  a  good,  wise 
mother.  I  wish  she  had.  I  wish  I  had  one  myself." 

And  she  burst  into  tears,  and  leaned  her  head 
against  the  cushioned  carriage,  feeling  quite  overcome 
by  her  self-reproach  and  consciousness.  Their  mother 
had  died  when  Mollie  was  born,  and  they  had  been 
left  to  fight  their  own  battles  ever  since. 

She  was  obliged  to  control  herself,  however.  It 
would  never  do  to  present  herself  to  Pullet  in  tears. 
So  she  sat  up  and  dried  her  eyes  with  her  handker 
chief,  and  turned  to  the  carriage  window  to  let  the 
fresh  air  blow  upon  her  face.  But  she  had  not  been 
looking  out  two  minutes  when  her  attention  was 
attracted  by  something  down  the  street,  —  a  bit  of 
color,  —  a  little  tuft  of  scarlet  feathers  in  a  hat,  and 


VAGABONDIA.  253 

then  her  eyes,  wandering  lower,  recognized  a  well- 
remembered  jacket  and  a  well-remembered  dress,  and 
then  the  next  instant  she  uttered  an  exclamation  in 
spite  of  herself. 

"  It  is  Mollie  ! "  she  cried.  "  It  is  Mollie,  and  here 
is  Gerald  Chandos  ! " 

For  at  the  door  of  a  bookseller's  she  was  just  near- 
ing  stood  the  gentleman  in  question,  holding  a  peri 
odical  in  his  hand,  and  evidently  awaiting  an  arrival. 

He  caught  sight  of  Mollie  almost  as  soon  as  she  did 
herself,  and  the  instant  he  saw  her  he  hurried  toward 
her,  and  by  the  time  Miss  MacDowlas's  carriage  rolled 
slowly  up  to  them,  in  its  usual  stately  fashion,  he  was 
holding  the  small  disreputable  glove  Mollie  had  just 
taken  out  of  the  convenient  jacket  pocket,  and  the 
fair  culprit  herself  was  listening  to  his  eager  greeting 
with  the  old,  bright,  uncontrollable  blushes,  and  the 
old  dangerous  trick  of  drooping  brown-fringed  eye 
lids,  and  half-shy,  half- wilful  air.  Dolly  instinctively 
called  to  her  almost  aloud.  She  could  not  resist  the 
impulse. 

"  Mollie  ! "  she  said.     "  Mollie  !  " 

But,  of  course,  Mollie  did  not  hear  her,  and  the  car 
nage  passed  her,  and  Dolly  sank  back  into  her  corner 
catching  her  breath. 

"  It  was  not  a  mistake,"  she  said ;  "  it  was  true.  It 
is  worse  than  I  thought.  Miss  MacDowlas  was  right. 
It  was  no  accident  which  brought  them  both  here. 


254  VAGABONDIA. 

He  is  a  cowardly  scoundrel  and  is  playing  upon  her 
ignorance.  If  I  had  believed  in  him  before,  I  should 
know  that  he  is  not  to  be  trusted  now.  She  is  walk 
ing  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  and  she  thinks  she  is 
safe  and  never  dreams  of  its  existence.  Oh,  Mollie  ! 
Mollie  !  the  world  means  nothing  to  you  yet,  and  it 
is  we  who  have  to  show  you  all  the  thorns  ! " 

She  finished  her  errands  and  drove  homeward  as 
quickly  as  possible.  She  could  think  of  nothing  but 
Mollie,  and  by  the  time  she  reached  Brabrazon  Lodge 
her  head  ached  with  the  unpleasant  excitement.  The 
servant  who  opened  the  door  met  her  with  a  piece  of 
information.  Mr.  Gowan  had  called  to  see  her  on 
some  special  business,  and  was  awaiting  her  arrival 
in  the  drawing-room.  He  had  been  there  almost  an 
hour. 

She  did  not  go  to  her  room  at  all,  but  ran  up-stairs 
to  the  drawing-room  quickly,  feeling  still  more 
anxious.  It  was  just  possible  that  somebody  was  ill, 
and  Ealph  Gowan  had  come  to  break  the  news  to  her 
because  no  one  else  had  been  at  liberty.  With  this 
idea  uppermost,  she  opened  the  door  and  advanced 
toward  him,  looking  pale  and  troubled. 

He  met  her  half-way,  and  took  her  outstretched 
hand,  looking  troubled  himself. 

"  You  are  not  very  well,"  he  said  at  once.  "  I  am 
sorry  to  see  that."  And  his  voice  told  her  immedi 
ately  that  he  had  not  come  with  good  news. 


VAGABONDIA.  255 

She  smiled  faintly,  but  when  she  sat  down  she  put 
her  hand  to  her  forehead. 

"  Am  I  pale,  then  ? "  she  answered.  "  I  suppose  I 
must  be.  It  is  nothing  but  a  trifle  of  headache,  and," 
with  a  hesitant  laugh,  "  that  I  half  fancied  you  had 
corne  to  tell  me  something  unpleasant." 

He  was  silent  for  a  moment,  —  so  silent  that  she 
looked  up  at  him  with  a  startled  face. 

"  It  is  something  unpleasant ! "  she  exclaimed. 
"  You  have  come  with  ill  news,  and  you  are  afraid 
to  begin." 

"  Not  so  bad  as  that,  —  not  afraid,  but  rather  reluc 
tant,"  he  answered.  "  It  is  not  pleasant  news  ;  and 
but  that  I  felt  it  would  be  wisest  to  warn  you  at  once, 
I  would  rather  any  one  else  had  brought  it.  I  have 
stumbled  upon  a  disagreable  report." 

"  Keport ! "  Dolly  echoed,  and  her  thoughts  flew  to 
Mollie  again. 

"Don't  be  alarmed,"  he  said.  "It  is  only  a  dis 
agreeable  one  because  the  subject  of  it  has  managed 
to  connect  himself  with  some  one  whose  happiness 
we  value." 

Dolly  rose  from  her  chair  and  stood  up,  turning 
even  paler  than  before. 

"  This  some  one  whose  happiness  we  value  ie 
Mollie,"  she  said.  "And  the  report  you  have 
heard  is  about  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos.  Am  I  not 
right  ? " 


256  VAGABONDIA. 

"  Yes/'  lie  returned,  "  you  are  right.  The  hero  of 
the  report  is  Gerald  Chandos." 

"  What  has  he  been  doing  ?  "  she  asked,  sharply. 
"  Don't  hesitate,  please.  I  want  to  know." 

He  was  evidently  both  distressed  and  perplexed. 
He  took  two  or  three  hurried  steps  across  the  room, 
as  if  to  give  himself  a  little  extra  time  to  settle  his 
words  into  the  best  form.  But  Dolly  could  not 
wait. 

"  Mr.  Gowan,"  she  said,  "  what  has  that  man  been 
doing  ? " 

He  turned  round  and  answered  her. 

"  He  has  been  passing  himself  off  to  your  brother 
as  an  unmarried  man/'  he  said. 

She  slipped  back  into  her  chair  again,  and  wrung 
her  hands  passionately. 

"  And  he  is  married  ? "  she  demanded.  "  Oh  !  how 
was  it  you  did  not  know  this  ? '' 

"  Not  one  in  ten  of  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos's  friends 
know  it,"  he  returned.  "And  I  am  only  a  chance 
acquaintance.  It  is  not  an  agreeable  story  to  tell,  if 
what  report  says  is  true.  Kemember,  it  is  only 
report  as  yet,  and  I  will  not  vouch  for  it.  It  is  said 
that  the  marriage  was  the  end  of  a  boyish  folly,  and 
that  the  happy  couple  separated  by  mutual  consent 
six  months  after  its  consummation.  The  woman  went 
to  California,  and  Chandos  has  not  seen  her  since, 
though  he  hears  of  her  whereabouts  occasionally." 


VAGABONDIA.  257 

"  And  you  are  not  quite  sure  yet  that  the  report  is 
true?"  said  Dolly. 

"  Not  quite  sure,"  he  replied ;  "  but  I  wish  I  had 
greater  reason  to  doubt  it." 

Eecurring  mentally  to  the  little  scene  she  had  wit 
nessed  on  the  street  only  an  hour  or  so  previously,  and 
remembering  Mollie's  blushes  and  drooping  eyes,  and 
the  look  they  had  won  from  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos  as 
he  took  her  half-reluctant  hand  in  his,  Dolly  bit  her 
lips  hard,  feeling  her  blood  grow  hot  within  her. 
She  waited  just  a  minute  to  cool  herself,  and  then 
spoke. 

"  Mr.  Gowan,"  she  said,  "  in  the  first  place  I  ought 
to  thank  you." 

"  Nay,"  he  said,  "  I  promised  to  help  you  to  care 
for  Mollie." 

"  I  ought  to  thank  you,"  she  repeated.  "  And  I 
do.  But  in  the  second  place  I  am  going  to  ask  you 
to  do  something  for  me  which  may  be  disagreeable." 

"  You  may  be  sure,"  he  replied,  "  that  I  shall  not 
hesitate." 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  I  think  I  am  sure  of  that,  or  I 
should  not  ask  you.  I  am  so  eager  about  the  matter, 
that  I  could  not  bear  to  waste  the  time.  I  want  you 
to  help  me.  On  Thursday  afternoon  I  am  going 
home.  Can  you  trace  this  report  to  its  source  before 
then,  and  let  me  know  whether  it  is  a  true  or  a  false 
one  ? " 

17 


258  VAGABONDIA. 

"I  can  try.?r 

She  clasped  both  her  gloved  hands  together  on  the 
small  table  before  her,  and  lifted  to  his  such  a  deter 
mined  young  face  and  such  steadfast  eyes,  that  he 
was  quite  impressed.  She  would  rise  in  arms  against 
the  world  for  poor,  unwise  Mollie,  it  was  plain.  It 
was  not  so  safe  a  matter  to  trifle  in  Yagabondia,  it 
would  seem,  — that  Gerald  Chandos  would  find  to  his 
cost. 

"If  you  bring  word  to  me  that  what  you  have 
heard  is  a  truth,"  she  said,  "  I  can  go  to  Mollie  with 
my  weapon  in  my  hand,  and  I  can  end  all  at  one 
blow.  However  wilful  and  incredulous  she  may 
have  been  heretofore,  she  will  not  attempt  to  resist 
me  when  I  tell  her  that.  It  is  a  humiliating  thing 
to  think  he  has  insulted  her  by  keeping  his  secret  so 
far ;  but  we  meet  with  such  covert  stings  now  and 
then  in  Yagabondia,  and  perhaps  it  will  prove  a  bless 
ing  in  disguise.  If  we  had  used  our  authority  to 
make  her  dismiss  him  without  having  a  decided  rea 
son  to  give  her,  she  might  only  have  resented  our 
intervention  as  being  nothing  but  prejudice.  As  it  is, 
she  will  be  frightened  and  angry." 

So  it  was  agreed  upon  that  he  should  take  in  hand 
the  task  of  sifting  the  affair  to  the  bottom.  His  time 
was  his  own,  and  chance  had  thrown  him  among 
men  who  would  be  likely  to  know  the  truth.  As 
soon  as  he  had  gained  the  necessary  information, 


VAGABONDIA.  259 

Dolly  would  hear  from  him,  or  he  would  call  upon 
her  and  give  her  all  particulars. 

"  You  have  a  whole  day  before  you,  —  nearly  two 
whole  days,  I  may  say,  for  I  shall  not  be  likely  to 
leave  here  until  five  or  six  o'clock  on  Thursday," 
Dolly  said,  when  their  rather  lengthened  interview 
terminated. 

"  I  will  make  the  most  of  my  time,"  he  replied. 

Dolly  stood  at  the  window  and  watched  him  go 
down  the  walk  to  the  gates. 

"  This  is  the  something  which  was  going  to  happen," 
she  commented.  "  Having  set  matters  straight  with 
Grif,  I  suppose  it  is  necessary,  for  the  maintenance  of 
my  self-control,  that  I  should  have  a  difficulty  about 
Mollie ;  but  I  think  I  could  have  retained  my  equi 
librium  without  it." 

The  two  days  passed  quietly  enough  up  to  Thurs 
day  afternoon.  Whatever  Ralph  Gowan  had  discov 
ered,  he  was  keeping  to  himself  for  the  present.  He 
had  not  written,  and  he  had  not  called.  Naturally, 
Dolly  was  impatient.  She  began  to  be  very  im 
patient  indeed,  as  the  afternoon  waned,  and  it  became 
dusk.  Worse  still,  her  old  restlessness  came  upon  her. 
She  could  not  make  up  her  mind  to  leave  Brabazon 
Lodge  until  she  had  either  seen  or  heard  from  Gowan, 
and  she  was  afraid  that  if  she  lingered  late  Griffith 
would  arrive  before  her,  and  would  be  troubled  by  her 
non-appearance.  Since  the  night  they  had  met  in  the 


260  VAGABONDIA. 

street  she  had  not  seen  him,  and  she  had  much  to  say 
to  him.  She  had  looked  forward  anxiously  to  this 
evening,  and  the  few  quiet  hours  they  were  to  spend 
together  in  the  dear  old  disreputable  parlor  at  Blooms- 
bury  Place.  They  had  spent  so  many  blissful  even 
ings  in  that  parlor,  that  the  very  thought  of  it  made 
her  heart  beat  happily.  Nobody  would  be  there  to 
interfere  with  them.  The  rest  of  the  family  would, 
good-naturedly,  vacate  and  leave  them  alone,  and  she 
would  take  her  old  chair  by  the  fire,  and  Grif  would 
sit  near  her,  and  in  ten  minutes  after  they  had  sat  so 
together,  they  would  have  left'  all  their  troubles 
behind  them,  and  wandered  off  into  a  realm  of  tender 
dreams  and  sweet  unrealities.  But,  impatient  as  she 
was  to  be  gone,  Dolly  could  not  forget  Mollie's  inter 
est.  It  was  too  near  her  heart  to  be  forgotten.  She 
must  attend  to  Mollie's  affairs  first,  and  then  she 
could  fly  to  Grif  and  the  parlor  with  an  easy  con 
science.  So  she  waited  until  five  o'clock  before  dress 
ing  to  go  out,  and  then,  after  watching  at  the  window 
for  a  while,  she  decided  to  go  to  her  room  and  put  on 
her  hat  and  make  all  her  small  preparations,  so  that 
when  her  visitor  arrived  she  might  be  ready  to  leave 
the  house  as  soon  as  he  did. 

"  It  won't  do  to  keep  Grif  waiting  too  long,  even 
for  Mollie's  sake,"  she  said.  "  I  must  consider  him, 
too.  If  Mr.  Gowan  does  not  come  by  six  or  half-past, 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  go." 


VAGABONDIA.  261 

She  purposely  prolonged  her  toilet,  even  though  it 
had  occupied  a  greater  length  of  time  than  usual  in 
the  first  instance.  There  had  been  a  new  acquisition 
in  the  shape  of  a  dress  to  don,  and  one  or  two  coquet 
tish  aids  to  appearance,  which  were  also  novelties. 
But  before  six  o'clock  she  was  quite  ready,  and,  having 
nothing  else  to  do,  was  reduced  to  the  necessity  of 
standing  before  the  glass  and  taking  stock  of  herself 
and  her  attire. 

"  It  fits,"  she  soliloquized,  curving  her  neck  in  her 
anxiety  to  obtain  a  back  view  of  herself.  "  It  fits  like 
a  glove,  and  so  Grif  will  be  sure  to  like  it.  His  ad 
miration  for  clothes  that  fit  amounts  to  a  monomania. 
He  will  make  his  usual  ecstatic  remarks  on  the  sub 
ject  of  figure,  too.  And  I  must  confess,"  with  modest 
self-satisfaction, — "  I  must  confess  that  those  frills  are 
not  unbecoming.  If  we  were  only  rich  —  and  mar 
ried  —  how  I  would  dress,  to  please  him  !  Being 
possessed  of  a  figure,  one's  results  are  never  uncer 
tain.  Figure  is  a  weakness  of  mine,  also.  With  the 
avoirdupois  of  Miss  Jolliboy,  life  would  appear  a 
desert.  Ten  thousand  per  annum  would  not  console 
me.  And  yet  she  wears  sables  and  seal-skin,  and  is 
happy.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  worthy  of  the  notice  of 
the  philosopher,  that  it  is  such  women  who  invariably 
possess  the  sable  and  seal-skin.  Ah,  well !  "  charitably, 
"  I  suppose  it  is  a  dispensation  of  Providence.  When 
they  attain  that  size  they  need  some  compensation/' 


262  VAGABONDIA. 

Often  in  after  time  she  remembered  the  complacent 
little  touch  of  vanity,  and  wondered  how  it  had  been 
possible  that  she  could  stand  there,  making  so 
thoughtless  and  foolish  a  speech  when  danger  was  so 
near,  and  so  much  of  sharp,  passionate  suffering  was 
approaching  her. 

She  had  waited  until  the  last  minute,  and  rinding, 
on  consulting  her  watch,  that  it  was  past  six,  she 
decided  to  wait  no  longer.  She  took  up  her  gloves 
from  the  dressing-table  and  drew  them  on  ;  she  settled 
the  little  drooping  plume  in  her  hat  and  picked  up 
her  muff,  and  then,  giving  a  last  glance  and  a  saucy 
nod  to  the  piquant  reflection  in  the  glass,  she  opened 
her  bedroom  door  to  go  out. 

And  then  it  was,  just  at  this  last  moment,  that 
there  came  a  ring  at  the  hall-door  bell,  —  evidently  a 
hurried  ring,  and  withal  a  ring  which  made  her  heart 
beat,  she  knew  not  why. 

She  stood  at  the  head  of  the  staircase  and  listened. 
A  moment  later,  and  the  visitor  was  speaking  to  the 
servant  who  had  admitted  him. 

"  Mr.  Gowan,"  she  heard.  "  Miss  Crewe  —  wish  to 
see  her  at  once  —  at  once." 

She  knew  by  his  voice  that  something  was  wrong, 
and  she  did  not  wait  for  the  up-coming  of  the  servant. 
She  almost  flew  down  the  staircase,  and  entered  the 
parlor  an  instant  after  him ;  and  when  he  saw  her  he 
met  her  with  an  exclamation  of  thankfulness. 


VAGABONDIA  263 

"  Thank  God  !  "  he  said, "  that  you  are  ready  \ "  He 
was  pale  with  excitement,  and  fairly  out  of  breath. 
He  did  not  give  her  time  to  answer  him.  "  You  must 
come  with  me,"  he  said.  "  There  is  not  a  moment  to 
lose.  I  have  a  cab  at  the  door.  I  have  driven  here 
at  full  speed.  The  report  is  true,  and  I  have  found 
out  that  to-night  Chandos  leaves  London.  But  that 
is  not  the  worst,  —  for  God's  sake,  be  calm,  and  re 
member  how  much  depends  upon  your  courage,  —  he 
intends  taking  your  sister  with  him." 

Terrible  as  the  shock  was  to  her,  she  was  calm,  and 
did  remember  how  much  might  depend  upon  her.  She 
forgot  Grif  and  the  happy  evening  she  had  promised 
herself ;  she  forgot  all  the  world  but  Mollie,  —  hand 
some,  lovable,  innocent  Mollie,  who  was  rushing  head 
long  and  unconsciously  to  misery  and  ruin.  A  great, 
sharp  change  seemed  to  come  upon  her  as  she  turned 
to  Kalph  Gowan.  She  was  not  the  same  girl  who,  a 
minute  or  so  before,  had  nodded  at  her  pretty  self  in  the 
glass ;  the  excited  blood  tingled  in  her  veins ;  she  was 
full  of  desperate,  eager  bravery,  —  she  could  not  wait 
a  breath's  space. 

"  Come  ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  I  am  ready.  You  can 
tell  me  the  rest  when  we  are  in  the  cab." 

She  did  not  even  know  where  they  were  going  until 
she  heard  Gowan  give  the  driver  the  directions.  But} 
as  they  drove  through  the  streets,  she  learned  all. 

In  spite  of  his  efforts,  it  Was  not  until  the  eleventh 


264  VAGABOND1A. 

hour  that  he  had  succeeded  in  obtaining  positive  proof 
of  the  truth  of  the  report,  though  he  had  found  less 
cause  to  doubt  it  each  time  he  made  fresh  inquiries. 
In  the  end  he  had  been  driven  to  the  necessity  of 
appealing  to  a  man  who  had  been  Chandos's  confiden 
tial  valet,  and  who,  rascal  though  he  was,  still  was 
able  to  produce  proofs  to  be  relied  on.  Then  he 
had  been  roused  to  such  indignation  that  he  had 
driven  to  the  fellow's  lodgings  with  the  intention  of 
confronting  him  with  his  impudent  guilt,  and  there  he 
had  made  the  fearful  discovery  that  he  had  just  left 
the  place  with  "  a  pretty,  childish-looking  girl,  —  tall, 
and  with  a  lovely  color,"  as  the  landlady  described 
her ;  and  he  had  known  it  was  Mollie  -at  once. 

The  good  woman  had  given  him  all  particulars. 
They  had  come  to  the  house  together  in  a  cab,  and  the 
young  lady  had  not  got  out,  but  had  remained  seated 
in  it  while  her  companion  had  given  his  orders  to  his 
servant  indoors.  She  —  his  housekeeper  —  had  heard 
him  say  something  about  Brussels,  and,  having  caught 
a  glimpse  of  the  charming  face  in  the  vehicle  outside, 
she  had  watched  it  from  behind  the  blinds,  suspecting 
something  out  of  the  common  order  of  things. 

"  Not  that  he  did  not  treat  her  polite  and  respectful 
enough,"  she  added;  "for  he  did  and  she  —  pretty 
young  thing  —  seemed  quite  to  expect  it,  and  not  to 
be  at  all  ashamed  of  herself,  though  she  were  a  trifle 
shy  and  timid.  I  even  heard  him  ask  her  if  she 


VAGABONDIA.  265 

would  rather  he  rode  outside,  and  she  said  she  'thought 
so,  if  he  pleased.'  And  he  bowed  to  her  and  went, 
quite  obedient.  That  was  what  puzzled  me  so;  if 
he  'd  ha'  been  freer,  I  could  have  understood  it." 

"  It  does  not  puzzle  me  ! "  cried  Dolly,  clenching 
her  hands  and  fairly  panting  for  breath  when  she 
heard  it.  "  He  knows  how  innocent  she  is,  and  he  is 
too  crafty  to  alarm  her  by  his  manner.  Oh,  cannot 
we  make  this  man  drive  faster  ?  —  cannot  we  make 
him  drive  faster  ? " 

Gowan  drew  out  his,  watch  and  referred  to  it. 

"  There  is  no  danger  of  our  losing  their  train,"  he 
said.  "It  does  not  leave  the  station  until  nearly 
seven,  and  it  is  not  yet  half-past  six.  If  they  leave 
London  to-night,  we  shall  meet  them ;  if  they  do  not, 
I  think  I  can  guess  where  we  shall  find  them.  Ee- 
member,  you  must  not  allow  yourself  to  become 
excited.  We  have  only  our  coolness  and  readiness 
of  action  to  rely  upon.  If  we  lose  our  presence  of 
mind,  we  lose  all." 

He  did  not  lose  his  presence  of  mind,  at  least. 

Even  in  the  midst  of  her  distress,  Dolly  found  time 
to  feel  grateful  to  him  beyond  measure,  and  to  admire 
his  forethought.  He  never  seemed  to  hesitate  for  a 
moment.  He  had  evidently  decided  upon  his  course 
beforehand,  and  there  was  no  delay.  Eeaching  the 
station,  he  assisted  Dolly  to  descend  from  the  cab 
and  led  her  at  once  to  a  seat  where  she  could  com- 


266  VAGABONDIA. 

mand  a  vie\\  of  all  who  made  their  appearance  upon 
the  platform.  Then  he  left  her  and  went  to  make  in 
quiries  from  the  officials.  He  was  not  absent  long.  In 
a  few  minutes  he  returned  with  the  necessary  infor 
mation.  The  train  was  not  due  for  twenty  minutes, 
and  as  yet  no  lady  and  gentleman  answering  to  his 
description  had  been  seen  by  any  one  in  the  place. 

He  came  to  Dolly  and  took  a  seat  by  her,  looking 
down  at  her  upturned,  appealing  face  pityingly,  but 
reassuringly. 

"  We  are  safe  yet,"  he  said.  "  They  have  not  ar 
rived,  and  they  can  have  taken  passage  in  no  other 
train.  We  will  watch  this  train  leave  the  station, 
and  then  we  will  drive  at  full  speed  to  the  hotel 
Chandos  is  in  the  habit  of  visiting  when  he  makes  a 
flying  journey.  I  know  the  place  well  enough." 

The  next  half-hour  was  an  anxious  one  to  both. 
The  train  was  behind  time,  and  consequently  they 
were  compelled  to  wait  longer  than  they  had  expected. 
A  great  many  people  crowded  into  the  station  and 
took  tickets  for  various  points,  —  workingmen  and 
their  wives,  old  women  with  bundles,  and  young  ones 
without,  comfortable  people  who  travelled  first-class 
and  seemed  satisfied  with  themselves,  shabbily  attired 
little  dressmakers  and  milliners  with  bandboxes,  a 
party  of  tourists,  and  a  few  nice  girls;  in  fact,  the 
usual  samples  of  people  hurrying  or  taking  it  easy, 
losing  their  temper  or  preserving  it ;  but  there  was 


VAGABONDIA  267 

no  Mollie.  The  last  moment  arrived,  the  guards 
closed  the  carriage  doors  with  the  customary  bang, 
and  the  customary  cry  of  "All  right ;"  there  were  a 
few  puffs  and  a  whistle,  and  then  the  train  moved 
slowly  out  of  the  station.  Mollie  was  not  on  her  way 
to  Brussels  yet ;  that  was  a  fact  to  be  depended  upon. 

Dolly  rose  from  her  seat  with  a  sigh  which  was  half 
relief. 

"Now  for  trying  the  hotel/' said  Gowan.  "Take 
my  arm  and  summon  up  your  spirits.  In  less  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  I  think  I  may  say,  we  shall  have 
found  our  runaway,  and  we  shall  have  to  do  our  best 
to  reduce  her  romantic  escapade  to  a  commonplace 
level.  We  may  even  carry  her  back  to  Bloomsbury 
Place  before  they  have  had  time  to  become  anxious 
about  her.  Thank  Heaven,  we  were  so  fortunate  as 
to  discover  all  before  it  was  too  late  ! " 

Bloomsbury  Place !  A  sudden  pang  shot  through 
Dolly's  heart.  She  recollected  then  for  the  first  time 
that  at  Bloomsbury  Place  Griffith  was  waiting  for 
her,  and  that  it  might  be  a  couple  of  hours  before  she 
could  see  him  and  explain.  She  got  into  the  cab  and 
leaned  back  in  one  corner,  with  the  anxious  tears 
forcing  themselves  into  her  eyes.  It  seemed  as  if 
fate  itself  was  against  her. 

"  What  will  he  think  ? "  she  exclaimed,  uncon 
sciously.  "  Oh,  what  will  he  think  ? "  Then,  seeing 
that  Gowan  had  heard  her,  she  looked  at  him  piteously. 


268  VAGABONDIA. 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  speak  aloud/'  she  said.  "  I  had 
forgotten  in  my  trouble  that  Grif  will  be  waiting  for 
me  all  this  time.  He  has  gone  to  the  house  to  meet 
me,  and  —  I  am  not  there." 

Perhaps  he  felt  a  slight  pang,  too.  For  some  time 
he  had  been  slowly  awakening  to  the  fact  that  this 
otherwise  unfortunate  Grif  was  all  in  all  to  her,  and 
shut  out  the  rest  of  the  world  completely.  He  had  no 
chance  against  him,  and  no  other  man  would  have 
any.  Still,  even  in  the  face  of  this  knowledge,  the 
evident  keenness  of  her  disappointment  cut  him  a 
little. 

"  You  must  not  let  that  trouble  you,"  he  said,  gen 
erously.  "  Donne  will  easily  understand  your  absence 
when  you  tell  him  where  you  have  been.  In  the 
meantime,  I  have  a  few  suggestions  to  make  before 
we  reach  the  hotel." 

It  was  Mollie  he  was  thinking  of.  He  was  won- 
drously  tender  of  her  in  his  man's  pity  for  her  childish 
folly  and  simplicity.  If  possible,  they  must  keep  her 
secret  to  themselves.  If  she  had  left  no  explanation 
behind  her,  she  must  have  given  some  reason  for 
leaving  the  house,  and  if  they  found  her  at  the  hotel 
it  would  not  be  a  difficult  matter  to  carry  her  back 
home  without  exciting  suspicion,  and  thus  she  would 
be  saved  the  embarrassment  and  comment  her  posi 
tion  would  otherwise  call  down  upon  her.  Griffith 
.might  be  told  in  confidence,  but  the  rest  of  them 


VAGABONDIA.  269 


might  be  left  to  imagine  that  nothing  remarkable  had 


occurred.     These  were  his  suggestions. 

Dolly  agreed  to  adopt  them  at  once,  it  is  hardly 
necessary  to  say.  The  idea  that  it  would  be  possible 
to  adopt  them  made  the  case  look  less  formidable. 
She  had  been  terribly  troubled  at  first  by  the  thought 
of  the  excitement  the  explanation  of  the  escapade 
would  cause  at  Bloomsbury  Place.  Phil  would  have 
been  simply  furious,  —  not  so  much  against  Mollie  as 
against  Chandos.  His  good-natured  indifference  to 
circumstances  would  not  have  been  proof  against  the 
base  betrayal  of  confidence  involved  in  the  affair. 
And  then  even  in  the  after-time,  when  the  worst 
was  over  and  forgotten,  the  innumerable  jokes  and 
thoughtless  sarcasms  she  would  have  had  to  encoun 
ter  would  have  been  Mollie's  severest  punishment. 
When  the  remembrance  of  her  past  danger  had  faded 
out  of  the  family  mind,  and  the  whimsical  side  of  the 
matter  presented  itself,  they  would  have  teased  her, 
and  Dolly  felt  that  such  a  course  would  be  far  from 
safe.  So  she  caught  at  Kalph  Gowaii's  plan  eagerly. 

Still  she  felt  an  excited  thrill  when  the  cab  drew 
up  before  the  door  of  the  hotel.  Suppose  they  should 
not  find  her  ?  Suppose  Chandos  had  taken  precau 
tions  against  their  being  followed  ? 

But  Gowan  did  not  seem  to  share  her  misgivings, 
though  the  expression  upon  his  face  was  a  decidedly 
disturbed  one  as  he  descended  from  the  vehicle. 


270  VAGABOND1A. 

"  You  must  remain  seated  until  I  come  back,"  he 
said.  "  I  shall  not  be  many  minutes,  I  am  sure.  I 
am  convinced  they  are  here."  And  then  he  closed 
the  cab  door  and  left  her. 

She  drew  out  her  watch  and  sat  looking  at  it  to 
steady  herself  Her  mind  was  not  very  clear  as  to 
how  she  intended  to  confront  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos 
and  convince  Mollie.  The  convincing  of  Mollie  would 
not  be  difficult,  she  was  almost  sure,  but  the  confront 
ing  of  Gerald  Chandos  was  not  a  pleasant  thing  to 
think  of. 

She  was  just  turning  over  in  her  mind  a  stirring, 
scathing  speech,  when  the  cab  door  opened  again,  and 
Go  wan  stood  before  her.  He  had  not  been  absent 
five  minutes. 

"  It  is  as  I  said  it  would  be,"  he  said.  "  They  are 
here, —  at  least  Mollie  is  here.  Chandos  has  gone 
out,  and  she  is  alone  in  the  private  parlor  he  has 
engaged  for  her.  They  have  evidently  missed  their 
train.  They  intended  to  leave  by  the  first  in  the 
morning.  I  have  managed  to  give  the  impression 
that  we  are  expected,  and  so  we  shall  be  shown  on 
to  the  scene  at  once  without  any  trouble." 

And  so  they  were.  A  waiter  met  them  at  the 
entrance  and  led  them  up-stairs  without  the  slightest 
hesitation. 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  announce  us,"  said  Gowan. 
And  the  man  threw  open  the  door  of  No.  2  with  a  bow. 


VAGABONDIA.  271 

They  crossed  the  threshold  together  without  speak- 
ing,  and  when  the  door  closed  behind  them  they 
turned  and  looked  at  each  other  with  a  simultaneous 
but  half-smothered  exclamation. 

It  was  a  pretty  room,  bright  with  a  Jelicate  gay- 
hued  carpet  and  thick  white  rugs,  numerous  mirrors 
and  upholstering  of  silver-gray  and  blue.  There  was 
a  clear-burning  fire  in  the  highly  polished  steel-grate, 
and  one  of  the  blue  and  silver-gray  sofas  had  been 
drawn  up  to  it,  and  there,  upon  this  sofa,  lay  Mollie 
with  her  hand  under  her  cheek,  sleeping  like  a  baby. 

They  were  both  touched  to  the  heart  by  the  mere 
sight  of  her.  There  was  something  in  the  perfect 
repose  of  her  posture  and  expression  that  was  childish 
and  restful.  It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  realize  that 
she  was  sleeping  on  the  brink  of  ruin  and  desolation. 
Something  bright  gathered  on  Dolly's  lashes  and 
slipped  down  her  cheek  as  she  looked  at  her. 

"  Thank  God,  we  have  found  her ! "  she  said. 
"  Just  to  think  that  she  should  be  sleeping  like  that, 
—  as  if  she  was  at  home.  If  she  was  two  years 
old  she  might  wear  just  such  a  look." 

Gowan  hardly  liked  to  stand  by  as  she  went  toward 
the  sofa.  The  girl's  face,  under  the  coquettish  hat, 
seemed  to  grow  womanly,  her  whole  figure  seemed  to 
soften  as  she  knelt  down  upon  the  carpet  by  the 
couch  and  laid  her  hand  upon  Mollie' s  shoulder, 
speaking  to  her  gently. 


272  VAGABONDIA. 

"  Mollie/5  she  said,  "  dear,  waken." 

Just  that,  and  Mollie  started  up  with  a  faint  cry, 
dazzled  by  the  light,  and  rubbing  her  eyes  and  her 
soft,  flushed  cheeks,  just  as  she  had  done  the  night 
Gowan  surprised  her  asleep  in  the  parlor. 

"  Dolly,"  she  cried  out,  when  she  saw  who  was  with 
her,  —  "  Dolly,"  in  a  half-frightened  voice,  "  wb.y  did 
you  come  here  ?  " 

"  I  came  to  take  you  home,"  answered  Dolly,  trem 
ulously,  but  firmly.  "  Thank  God !  I  am  not  too 
late  !  Oh,  Mollie,  Mollie,  how  could  you  ? " 

Mollie  sat  up  among  her  blue  and  gray  cushions 
and  stared  at  her  for  a  moment,  as  if  she  was  not 
wide  enough  awake  to  realize  what  she  meant.  But 
the  next  instant  she  caught  sight  of  Ealph  Gowan, 
and  that  roused  her  fully,  and  she  flushed  scarlet. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  she  said.  "  I  don't 
know  what  you  mean  by  coming  here  in  this  way. 
And  I  don't  know  what  Mr.  Gowan  means  by  bring 
ing  you, — for  I  feel  sure  he  has  brought  you.  I  am 
not  a  baby,  to  be  followed  as  if  I  could  not  take  care 
of  myself.  I  am  going  to  be  married  to  Mr.  Gerald 
Chandos  to-morrow,  and  we  are  going  on  the  Conti 
nent  for  our  wedding  tour." 

She  was  in  a  high  state  of  rebellion.  It  was 
Gowan's  presence  she  was  resenting,  not  Dolly's.  To 
tell  the  truth,  she  was  rather  glad  to  see  Dolly.  She 
had  begun  to  feel  the  loneliness  of  her  position,  and  it 


VAGABONDIA.  273 

had  half  intimidated  her.  But  the  sight  of  Go  wan 
roused  her  spirit.  What  right  had  he  to  come  and 
interfere  with  her,  since  he  did  not  care  for  her  and 
thought  she  was  nothing  but  a  child  ?  It  made  her 
feel  like  a  child.  She  turned  her  back  to  him  openly 
as  she  spoke  to  Dolly. 

"  I  am  going  to  be  married  in  the  morning,"  she 
repeated  ;  "  and  we  are  going  to  Brussels." 

Then,  in  her  indignation  against  Mr.  Gerald  Chan- 
clos,  Dolly  fired  a  little  herself. 

"  And  has  it  never  occurred  to  you,"  she  said, 
"that  it  is  rather  a  humiliating  thing  this  running 
away,  as  if  you  knew  you  were  doing  something  dis 
graceful  ?  May  I  ask  what  reason  Mr.  Gerald  Chan- 
dos  gives  for  asking  you  to  submit  to  such  an  insult, 
for  it  is  an  insult  ?  " 

"  He  has  very  good  reasons,"  answered  Mollie, 
beginning  to  falter  all  at  once,  as  the  matter  was  pre 
sented  to  her  in  this  new  and  trying  light.  "He  has 
very  good  reasons,  —  something  about  business  and 

—  and  his  family,  and  he  does  not  intend  to  insult 
me.     He  is  very  fond  of  me  and  very  proud  of  me, 
and  he  is  going  to  try  to  make  me  very  happy.     He 

—  he  has  bought  me  a  beautiful  trousseau  —  "     And 
then,  seeing  the  two  exchange  indignant  yet  pitying 
glances,  she  broke  off  suddenly  and  burst  forth  as  if 
she  was  trying  to  hide  in  anger  the  subtle,  mysterious 
fear  which  was  beginning  to  creep  upon  her.     "  How 

18 


274  VAGABOND1A. 

dare  you  look  at  each  other  so  ! "  she  cried.  "  How 
dare  you  look  at  me  so  !  I  have  done  nothing  wrong. 
He  says  many  other  people  do  the  same  thing  and  — 
and  I  wont  be  looked  at  so.  I  shall  not  tell  you 
another  word.  You  —  you  look  as  if  I  was  going  to 
do  something  wicked  and  dreadful."  And  she  flung 
herself  face  downward  upon  the  sofa  cushions  and 
broke  into  a  passionate,  excited  sob. 

Then  Dolly  could  control  herself  no  longer.  She 
flashed  out  into  a  storm  of  wrath  and  scorn  against 
this  cool,  systematic  scoundrel,  who  would  have 
wrought  such  harm  against  such  simple  ignorance  of 
the  world.  What  had  they  not  saved  her  from,  poor, 
foolish  child  ?  She  clenched  her  little,  gloved  hand 
and  struck  it  against  the  sofa  arm,  the  hot  color 
flaming  up  on  her  cheeks  and  the  fire  lighting  in  her 
eyes. 

"  Mollie  ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  that  is  what  is  true  ! 
You  are  going  to  do  something  that  is  dreadful  to 
think  of,  though  you  do  not  think  so  because  you  do 
not  know  the  truth.  And  we  have  come  to  tell  you 
the  truth  and  save  you.  That  man  is  a  villain,  —  he 
is  the  worst  of  villains.  He  does  not  intend  to  marry 
you,  —  he  cannot  marry  you,  and,  knowing  he  cannot, 
he  has  been  laying  traps  for  months  to  drag  you  down 
into  a  horrible  pit  of  shame.  Yes,  of  the  bitterest 
grief  and  shame,  —  poor,  simple  child  as  you  are,  — 
for  I  must  tell  you  the  whole  dreadful  truth,  though 


VAGABONDIA.  275 

I  would  iar  rather  hide  it  from  you,  if  I  could.  There 
are  some  wicked,  wicked  men  in  the  world,  Mollie, 
and  Gerald  Chandos  is  one  of  the  worst,  for  he  has 
got  a  wife  already." 

It  did  not  seem  to  be  Mollie  who  sprang  up  from 
her  cushions  and  confronted  them  with  wide-opened 
eyes.  Every  bit  of  color  had  died  out  of  her  cheeks 
and  lips,  and  she  turned  from  one  to  the  other  with  a 
wild,  appealing  look. 

"  It  is  n't  true,"  she  insisted,  desperately ;  but  her 
voice  was  broken,  and  she  sobbed  out  her  words  in 
"her  fright.  "  It  is  n't  true  !  It  is  n't  true  !  You  want 
to  frighten  me."  And  all  at  once  she  ran  to  Ralph 
Gowan  like  a  child,  and  caught  hold  of  his  arm  with 
her  pretty,  shaking  hands.  "  Mr.  Gowan,"  she  said, 
"  you  know,  don't  you  ?  and  you  won't  —  you  won't  — 
Oh,  where  is  Aimee  ?  I  want  Aimee  !  Aimee  is  n't 
like  the  rest  of  you !  She  would  have  made  me  go 
home  without  being  so  cruel  as  this."  And  the 
next  minute  she  turned  so  white  and  staggered  so, 
that  Dolly  ran  to  her,  and  Gowan  was  obliged  to  take 
her  in  his  arms. 

"  Tell  her  that  what  I  have  said  is  true/'  said  Dolly, 
crying.  *  She  will  begin  to  understand  then." 

And  so,  while  he  held  her,  panting  and  sobbing  and 
clinging  to  him,  Gowan  told  her  all  that  he  had 
learned.  He  was  as  brief  as  possible  and  as  tender 
as  a  woman.  His  heart  so  warmed  toward  the  pretty, 


276  VA  GABONDIA . 

lovable,  passionately  frightened  creature,  that  his  voice 
was  far  from  steady  as  he  told  his  story. 

She  did  not  rebel  an  instant  longer,  then.  Her 
terror,  under  the  shock,  rendered  her  only  helpless 
and  hysterical.  She  had  so  far  lost  control  over  her 
self  that  she  would  have  believed  anything  they  had 
chosen  to  tell  her. 

"  Take  me  away,"  she  cried,  whitening  and  shiver 
ing,  all  her  bright,  pretty  color  gone,  all  her  wilful 
petulance  struck  down  at  a  blow.  "  Take  me  home, 
—  take  me  home  to  Aimee.  I  want  to  go  away 
from  here  before  he  comes.  I  want  to  go  home  and 
die." 

How  they  got  her  down-stairs,  and  into  the  carriage, 
Dolly  scarcely  knows.  It  was  enough  that  they  got 
her  there  and  knew  she  was  safe.  Upon  the  table  in 
the  room  above  they  had  left  a  note  directed  to  Mr. 
Gerald  Chandos,  —  Dolly  had  directed  it  and  Dolly 
had  written  it. 

"  Is  there  pen  and  ink  here  ? "  she  had  asked 
Gowan ;  and  when  he  had  produced  the  articles,  she 
had  bent  over  the  table  and  dashed  a  few  lines  off 
with  an  unsteady  yet  determined  hand. 

a  There  ! "  she  had  said,  when  she  closed  the  enve 
lope.  "  Mr.  Chandos  will  go  to  Brussels,  I  think,  and 
he  will  understand  why  he  goes  alone,  and,  for  my 
part,  I  incline  to  the  belief  that  he  will  not  trouble 
us  again." 


VAGABONDIA.  277 

And  in  five  minutes  more  they  were  driving  toward 
Bloomsbury  Place. 

But  now  the  first  excitement  was  over,  Dolly's 
nerve  began  to  fail  her.  Now  that  Mollie  was  safe,  she 
began  to  think  of  Griffith.  It  seemed  a  cruel  trick 
of  fortune's  to  try  his  patience  so  sharply  just  at  this 
very  point.  She  knew  so  well  what  effect  his  hours 
of  waiting  would  have  upon  him.  But  it  was  useless 
to  rebel  now  ;  so  she  must  bear  it  as  well  as  she  could, 
and  trust  to  the  result  of  her  explanation.  Yet  de 
spite  her  hope,  every  minute  of  the  long  drive  seemed 
an  age,  and  she  grew  feverish  and  restless  and 
wretched.  What  if  he  had  not  waited,  and  was  not 
there  to  listen  to  what  she  had  to  say  ?  Then  there 
would  be  all  the  old  trouble  to  face  again,  —  perhaps 
something  worse. 

"  It  is  nine  o'clock/'  she  said,  desperately,  as  they 
passed  a  lighted  church  tower.  "  It  is  nine  o'clock." 
And  she  leaned  back  in  her  corner  again,  with  her 
heart  beating  strongly.  Her  disappointment  was  so 
keen  that  she  could  have  burst  into  a  passion  of  tears. 
Her  happy  evening  was  gone,  and  her  dream  of  simple 
pleasure  had  fled  with  its  sacrificed  hours.  She  could 
not  help  remembering  this,  and  being  quite  con 
quered  by  the  thought,  even  though  Mollie  was 
safe. 

They  had  settled  what  to  do  beforehand.  At  the 
corner  of  the  street  Go  wan  was  to  leave  them,  and 


278  VAGABONDIA. 

the  two  girls  were  to  go  in  together,  Mollie  making 
her  way  at  once  to  her  room  upon  pretext  of  head 
ache.  A  night's  rest  would  restore  her  self-control, 
and  by  the  next  morning  she  would  be  calm  enough 
to  face  the  rest,  and  so  her  wild  escapade  would  end 
without  risk  of  comment  if  she  was  sufficiently  dis 
creet  to  keep  her  own  counsel.  At  present  she  was 
too  thoroughly  upset  and  frightened  even  to  feel 
humiliation. 

"  Nearly  half-past  nine,"  said  Gowan,  as  he  assisted 
them  to  descend  to  the  pavement  at  their  journey's 
end. 

The  light  from  an  adjacent  lamp  showed  him  that 
the  face  under  Dolly's  hat  was  very  pale  and  excited, 
and  her  eyes  were  shining  and  large  with  repressed 
tears  as  she  gave  him  her  hand. 

"I  cannot  find  words  to  thank  you  just  yet,"  she 
said,  low  and  hurriedly.  "I  wish  I  could;  but — you 
know  what  you  have  helped  me  to  save  Mollie  from 
to-night,  and  so  you  know  what  my  gratitude  must 
be.  The  next  time  I  see  you,  perhaps,  I  shall  be  able 
to  say  what  I  wish,  but  now  I  can  only  say  good 
night,  and  —  oh,  God  bless  you  ! "  And  the  little 
hand  fairly  wrung  his. 

Mollie  shook  hands  with  him,  trembling  and  almost 
reluctantly.  She  was  pale,  too,  and  her  head  drooped 
as  if  it  would  nevermore  regain  the  old  trick  of  wil 
ful,  regal  carriage. 


VAGABONDIA. 


"  You  have  been  very  kind  to  take  so  much  trouble," 
she  said.  "  You  were  kinder  than  I  deserved,  —  both 
of  you." 

"  Now,"  said  Dolly,  when  he  sprang  into  the  cab, 
and  they  turned  away  together,  —  "  now  for  getting 
into  the  house  as  quietly  as  possible.  No,"  trying 
to  speak  cheerily,  and  as  if  their  position  was  no 
great  matter,  "  you  must  n't  tremble,  Mollie,  and  you 
mustn't  cry.  It  is  all  over  now,  and  everything 
is  as  commonplace  and  easy  to  manage  as  can  be. 
You  have  been  out,  and  have  got  the  headache,  and 
are  going  to  bed.  That  is  all.  All  the  rest  we  must 
forget.  Nothing  but  a  headache,  Mollie,  and  a  head 
ache  is  not  much,  so  we  won't  fret  about  it.  If  it 
had  been  a  heartache,  and  sin  and  shame  and  sorrow 
—  but  it  is  n't.  But,  Mollie,"  they  had  already 
reached  the  house  then,  and  stood  upon  the  steps, 
and  she  turned  to  the  girl  and  put  a  hand  on  each 
of  her  shoulders,  speaking  tremulously,  "when  you 
go  up-stairs,  kneel  down  by  your  bedside  and  say 
your  prayers,  and  thank  God  that  it  is  n't,  —  thank 
God  that  it  is  n't,  with  all  your  heart  and  soul." 
And  she  kissed  her  cheek  softly  just  as  they 
heard  Aimee  coming  down  the  hall  to  open  the 
door. 

"Dolly!"  she  exclaimed  when  she  saw  them, 
"  where  have  you  been  ?  Griffith  has  been  here 
since  five,  and  now  he  is  out  looking  for  you.  I  had 


280  VAGABONDIA. 

given  you  up  entirely,  but  he  would  not.     He  fancied 
you  had  been  delayed  by  something." 

"  I  have  been  delayed  by  something,"  said  Dolly, 
her  heart  failing  her  again.  "  And  here  is  Mollie,  with 
the  headache.  You  had  better  go  to  bed,  Mollie.  How 
long  is  it  since  Grif  left  the  house  ?" 

"Scarcely  ten  minutes,"  was  the  answer.  "It  is  a 
wonder  you  did  not  meet  him.  Oh,  Dolly!"  omi 
nously,  "  how  unlucky  you  are  !  " 

Dolly  quite  choked  in  her  effort  to  be  decently 
composed  in  manner. 

"  I  am  unlucky,"  she  said  ;  and  without  saying  more, 
she  made  her  way  into  the  parlor. 

She  took  her  hat  off  there  and  tossed  it  on  the  sofa, 
utterly  regardless  of  consequences,  and  then  dropped 
into  her  chair  and  looked  round  the  room.  It  did 
not  look  as  she  had  pictured  it  earlier  in  the  day. 
Its  cheerfulness  was  gone,  and  it  looked  simply  des 
olate.  The  fire  had  sunk  low  in  the  grate,  and  the 
hearth  was  strewn  with  dead  ashes,  —  somehow  or 
other,  everything  seemed  chilled  and  comfortless. 
She  was  too  late  for  the  brightness  and  warmth,  —  a 
few  hours  before  it  had  been  bright  and  warm,  and 
Grif  had  been  there  waiting  for  her.  Where  was  he 
now  ?  She  dropped  her  face  on  the  arm  of  her  chair 
with  a  sob  of  disappointed  feeling  and  foreboding. 
What  if  he  had  seen  them  leave  Ealph  Gowan,  and 
had  gone  home! 


VAGABONDIA.  281 

"  It 's  too  bad  ! "  she  cried.  "It  is  cruel /  I  can't 
bear  it !  Oh,  Grif,  do  come  ! "  And  her  tears  fell 
thick  and  fast. 

Ten  minutes  later  she  started  up  with  a  little  cry 
of  joy  and  relief.  That  was  his  footstep  upon  the 
pavement,  and  before  he  had  time  to  ring  she  was  at 
the  door.  She  could  scarcely  speak  to  him  in  her 
excitement. 

"  Oh,  Grif ! "  she  said  ;  "  Grif  —  darling  ! " 

But  he  did  not  offer  to  touch  her,  and  strode  past 
her  outstretched  hands. 

"  Come  into  this  room  with  me,"  he  said,  hoarsely ; 
and  the  simple  sound  of  his  voice  struck  her  to  the 
heart  like  a  blow. 

She  followed  him,  trembling,  and  when  they  stood 
in  the  light,  and  she  saw  his  deathly,  passion-wrung 
face,  her  hand  crept  up  to  her  side  and  pressed 
against  it. 

He  had  a  package  in  his  hand,  —  a  package  of  let 
ters,  —  and  he  laid  them  down  on  the  table. 

"  I  have  been  home  for  these,"  he  said.  "  Your 
letters,  —  I  have  brought  them  back  to  you." 

"  Grif ! "  she  cried  out. 

He  waved  her  back. 

"No,"  he  said,  "  never  mind  that.  It  is  too  late  for 
that  now,  that  is  all  over.  Good  God !  all  over  !  "  and 
he  panted  for  breath.  "  I  have  been  in  this  room 
waiting  for  you,"  he  struggled  on,  "  since  five  o'clock. 


282  VAGABONDIA. 

I  came  with  my  heart  full  to  the  brim,  I  have 
dreamt  about  what  this  evening  was  to  be  to  us 
every  night  for  a  week.  I  was  ready  to  kneel  and 
kiss  your  feet.  I  waited  hour  after  hour.  I  was  ready 
to  pray  —  yes,  to  pray,  like  a  fool  —  that  I  might  hold 
you  in  my  arms  before  the  night  ended.  Not  half  an 
hour  ago  I  went  out  to  see  if  you  were  coming.  And 
you  were  coming.  At  the  corner  of  the  street  you 
were  bidding  good-night  to  —  to  Ealph  Gowan  —  " 

"  Listen  !  "  she  burst  forth.  "  Mollie  was  with 
me  —  " 

"  Ealph  Gowan  was  with  you/'  he  answered  her  ; 
"  it  does  not  matter  who  else  was  there.  You  had 
spent  those  hours  in  which  I  wanted  you  with  him. 
That  was  enough,  —  nothing  can  alter  that."  And 
then  all  at  once  he  came  and  stood  near  her,  and 
looked  down  at  her  with  such  anguish  in  his  eyes 
that  she  could  have  shrieked  aloud.  "  It  was  a  poor 
trick  to  play,  Dolly,"  he  said ;  "  so  poor  a  one,  that  it 
was  scarcely  like  you.  Your  coquetries  had  always 
a  fairer  look.  The  commonest  jilt  might  have  done 
such  a  thing  as  that,  and  almost  have  done  it  better. 
It  is  an  old  trick,  too,  this  playing  the  poor  fool 
against  the  rich  one.  The  only  merit  of  your  play 
has  been  that  you  have  kept  it  up  so  long." 

He  was  almost  mad,  but  he  might  have  seen  that 
he  was  trying  her  too  far,  and  that  she  would  break 
down  all  at  once.  The  lon^  strain  of  the  whole  even- 


VAGABONDIA.  2,83 

ing;  his  strange,  unnatural  mood;  her  struggle  against 
wretchedness  —  all  were  too  much  for  her  to  bear. 
She  tried  to  speak,  and,  failing,  fought  for  strength, 
sobbed  thrice,  a  terrible,  hysterical  sob,  like  a  child's, 
and  then  turned  white  and  shivered,  without  uttering 
a  word. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "a  long  time,  Dolly"  —  but  his 
sentence  was  never  ended,  for  that  instant  she  went 
down  as  if  she  had  been  shot,  and  lay  near  his  feet 
quivering  for  a  second,  and  then  lying  still. 

He  was  not  stayed  even  then.  He  bent  down  and 
lifted  her  in  his  arms  and  carried  her  to  the  sofa,  pale 
himself,  but  not  relenting.  He  seemed  to  have  lived 
past  the  time  when  the  pretty,  helpless  figure,  in  all 
its  simple  finery,  would  have  stirred  him  to  such  ec 
stasy  of  pain.  He  was  mad  enough  to  have  believed 
even  her  helplessness  a  lie,  only  that  the  cruel,  ivory 
pallor  was  so  real.  He  did  not  even  stoop  to  kiss 
her  when  he  turned  away.  But  all  the  treasure  of 
faith  and  truth  and  love  had  died  out  of  his  face,  the 
veriest  dullard  could  have  seen  ;  his  very  youth  had 
dropped  away  from  him,  and  he  left  the  old,  innocent 
dreams  behind,  with  something  like  self-scorn. 

"  Good-by,"  he  said ;  "  we  have  lost  a  great  deal, 
Dolly  —  or  I  have  lost  it,  I  might  say.  And  even 
you  —  I  believe  it  pleased  even  you  until  better 
fortune  came ;  so,  perhaps,  you  have  lost  something, 
too." 


284  VAGABONDIA. 

Then  he  went  to  the  bell  and  touched  it,  and, 
having  done  so,  strode  out  into  the  narrow  hall, 
opened  the  front  door  and  was  gone ;  and  when,  a  few 
minutes  later,  Aimee  came  running  down  to  answer 
the  strange  summons,  she  found  only  the  silent  room, 
Dolly's  white,  piteous  face  upon  the  sofa-cushion, 
and  the  great  package  of  those  old,  sweet,  foolish 
letters  upon  the  table. 


CHAPTEE   XIII 

A  DEAD  LETTER. 

IT  was  all  over,  —  all  over  at  last. 
Dolly's  first  words  had  said  this  much  when 
she  opened  her  eyes,  and  found  Aimee  bending  over 
her. 

"Has  he  gone?"  she  had  asked.  "Did  he  go 
away  and  leave  me  ? " 

"  Do  you  mean  Grif  ? "  said  Aimee. 

She  made  a  weak  gesture  of  assent. 

"Yes,"  Aimee  answered.  "He  must  have  gone. 
I  heard  the  bell  ring,  and  found  you  lying  here  w7hen 
I  came  to  see  what  it  meant." 

"  Then,"  said  Dolly,  "  all  is  over,  —  all  is  over  at 
last."  And  she  turned  her  face  upon  the  cushion 
and  lay  so  still  that  she  scarcely  seemed  to  breathe. 

"  Take  another  drink  of  water,  Dolly,"  said  Aimee, 
keeping  back  her  questions  with  her  usual  discretion. 
"  You  must,  dear." 

But  Dolly  did  not  stir. 

"  I  don't  want  any  more,"  she  said.  "  I  am  not 
going  to  faint  again.  You  have  no  need  to  be  afraid. 


286  VAGABONDIA. 

I  don't  easily  faint,  you  know,  and  I  should  not  have 
fainted  just  now  only  —  that  the  day  has  been  a 
very  hard  one  for  me,  and  somehow  I  lost  strength 
all  at  once.  I  am  not  ill,  —  only  worn  out." 

"You  must  be  very  much  worn  out,  then,"  said 
Aimee ;  "  more  worn  out  than  I  ever  saw  you  before. 
You  had  better  let  me  help  you  up-stairs  to  bed." 

"  I  don't  want  to  go  to  bed  yet ! "  in  a  strange, 
choked  voice,  and  the  next  moment  Aimee  saw  her 
hands  clench  themselves  and  her  whole  frame  begin 
to  shake.  "Shut  the  door  and  lock  it,"  she  said, 
wildly.  "I  can't  stop  myself.  Give  me  some  sal 
volatile.  I  can't  breathe/'  And  such  a  fit  of  suffo 
cating  sobbing  came  upon  her  that  she  writhed  and 
battled  for  air. 

Aimee  flung  herself  upon  her  knees  by  her  side, 
shedding  tears  herself. 

"Oh,  Dolly,"  she  pleaded,  "Dolly,  darling,  don't. 
Try  to  help  yourself  against  it.  I  know  what  the 
trouble  is.  He  went  away  angry  and  disappointed, 
and  it  has  frightened  you.  Oh,  please  don't,  darling. 
He  will  come  back  to-morrow ;  he  will,  indeed.  He 
always  does,  you  know,  and  he  will  be  so  sorry." 

"He  has  gone  forever,"  Dolly  panted,  when  she 
could  speak.  "  He  will  never  come  back.  To-night 
has  been  different  from  any  other  time.  No,"  gasping 
and  sobbing,  "it  is  fate.  Fate  is  against  us, — it 
always  was  against  us.  I  think  God  is  against  us ; 


VAGABONDIA.  287 

and  oh,  how  can  He  be  ?  He  might  pity  us,  —  we 
tried  so  hard  and  loved  each  other  so  much.  We 
did  n't  ask  for  anything  but  each  other,  —  we  did  n't 
want  anything  but  that  we  might  be  allowed  to  cling 
together  all  our  lives  and  work  and  help  each  other. 
Oh,  Grif,  my  darling,  —  oh,  Grif,  my  dear,  my  dear  ! " 
And  the  sobs  rising  again  and  conquering  her  were 
such  an  agony  that  Aimee  caught  her  in  her  arms. 

"  Dolly,"  she  said,  "  you  must  not,  you  must  not, 
indeed.  You  will  die,  you  can't  bear  it." 

"  No,"  she  wailed,  "  I  can't  bear  it,  —  that  is  what 
it  is.  I  can't  bear  it.  It  is  too  hard  to  bear.  But 
there  is  no  one  to  help  me,  —  God  won't.  He  does 
not  care  for  us,  or  He  would  have  given  us  just  one 
little  crumb  out  of  all  He  has  to  give.  What  can  a 
poor  helpless  girl  be  to  Him  ?  He  is  too  high  and 
great  to  care  for  our  poor  little  powerless  griefs. 
Oh,  how  wicked  I  am  !  "  in  a  fresh  burst.  "  See  how 
I  rebel  at  the  first  real  blow.  It  is  because  I  am  so 
wicked,  perhaps,  that  all  has  been  taken  from  me,  — 
all  I  had  in  the  world.  It  is  because  I  loved  Grif 
best.  I  have  read  in  books  that  it  was  always  so. 
Oh,  why  is  it  ?  I  can't  understand  it.  It  seems 
cruel,  —  yes,  it  does  seem  cruel,  —  as  cruel  as  death, 
to  give  him  to  me  only  that  I  might  suffer  when  he 
was  taken  away.  Oh,  Grif,  my  darling  !  Grif,  my 
love,  my  dear  !  " 

This  over  again  and  again,  with  wild,  heart-broken 


288  VAGABONDTA. 

weeping,  until  she  was  so  worn  out  that  she  could 
cry  no  more,  and  lay  upon  Aimee's  arm  upon  the 
cushion,  white  and  exhausted,  with  heavy  purple 
rings  about  her  wearied,  sunken  eyes.  It  was  not 
until  then  that  Aimee  heard  the  whole  truth.  She 
had  only  been  able  to  guess  at  it  before,  and  now, 
hearing  the  particulars,  she  could  not  help  fearing 
the  worst. 

It  was  just  as  she  had  feared  it  would  be;  another 
blow  had  come  upon  him  at  the  very  time  when  he 
was  least  able  to  bear  it,  and  it  had  been  too  much 
for  him.  But  she  could  not  reveal  her  forebodings 
to  Dolly.  She  must  comfort  her  and  persuade  her  to 
hope  for  the  best. 

"  You  must  go  to  bed,  Dolly,"  she  said,  "  and  try 
to  sleep,  and  in  the  morning  everything  will  look 
different.  He  may  come,  you  know,  —  it  would  be 
just  like  him  to  come  before  breakfast.  But  if  he 
does  not  come  —  suppose,"  hesitatingly,  —  "  suppose 
I  was  to  write  to  him,  or  —  suppose  you  were  to  ? " 

She  was  half  afraid  that  pride  would  rise  against 
this  plan,  but  she  was  mistaken.  Seven  years  of 
love  had  mastered  pride.  Somehow  or  other,  pride 
had  never  seemed  to  come  between  them  in  their 
little  quarrels,  each  had  always  been  too  passionately 
eager  to  concede,  and  too  sure  of  being  met  with 
tenderest  penitence.  Dolly  had  always  known  too 
confidently  that  her  first  relenting  word  would  touch 


VAGABONDIA.  289 

Grif's  heart,  and  Grif  had  always  been  sure  that 
his  first  half-softened  reproach  would  bring  the  girl 
to  his  arms  in  an  impetuous  burst  of  loving  repent 
ance.  No,  it  was  scarcely  likely  that  other  people's 
scruples  would  keep  them  apart.  So  Dolly  caught 
at  the  proposal  almost  eagerly. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  I  will  write  and  tell  him  how  it 
was.  It  was  not  his  fault,  was  it,  Aiinee  ?  How 
could  I  have  borne  such  a  thing  myself?  It  would 
have  driven  me  wild,  as  it  did  him.  It  was  not  un 
reasonable  at  all  that  he  should  refuse  to  listen,  in  his 
first  excitement,  after  he  had  waited  all  those  hours 
and  suffered  such  a  disappointment.  And  then  to  see 
what  he  did.  My  poor  boy  !  he  was  not  to  blame  at 
all.  Yes,  yes,"  feverishly,  "  I  will  write  to  him  and 
tell  him.  Suppose  I  write  now  —  don't  you  think  I 
had  better  do  it  now,  and  then  he  will  get  the  letter 
in  the  morning,  and  he  will  be  sure  to  come  before 
dinner,  —  he  will  be  sure  to  come,  won't  he  ? " 

"  He  always  did,"  said  Aiinee. 

"  Always,"  said  Dolly.  "  Indeed,  I  never  had  to  write 
to  him  before  to  bring  him.  He  always  came  with 
out  being  written  to.  There  never  was  any  one  like 
him  for  being  tender  and  penitent.  You  always  said  so, 
Aimee.  And  just  think  how  often  I  have  tried  his 
patience !  I  sometimes  wish  I  could  help  doing 
things,  —  flirting,  you  know,  and  making  a  joke  of  it. 
He  never  flirted  in  his  life,  poor  darling,  and  what 

19 


290  VAGABONDIA. 

right  had  I  to  do  it  ?  When  he  comes  to-morrow  1 
will  tell  him  how  sorry  I  am  for  everything,  and 
I  will  promise  to  be  better.  I  have  not  been  half  so 
good  as  he  has.  I  wish  I  had.  I  should  not  have 
hurt  him  so  often  if  I  had." 

"  You  have  been  a  little  thoughtless  sometimes," 
said  Aimee.  "  Perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  if 
you  could  have  helped  it." 

"  A  little  thoughtless,"  said  Dolly,  restlessly.  "  I 
have  been  wickedly  thoughtless  sometimes.  And  I 
have  made  so  many  resolutions  and  broken  them  all. 
And  I  ought  to  have  been  doubly  thoughtful,  because 
he  had  so  much  to  bear.  If  he  had  been  prosperous 
and  happy  it  would  not  have  mattered  half  so  much. 
But  it  was  all  my  vanity.  You  don't  know  how  vain 
I  am,  Aimee.  I  quite  hate  myself  when  I  think  of  it. 
It  is  the  wanting  people  to  admire  me,  —  everybody, 
men  and  women,  and  even  children,  —  particularly 
among  Lady  Augusta's  set,  where  there  is  a  sort  of 
fun  in  it.  And  then  I  flirt  before  I  know ;  and  then, 
of  course,  Grif  cannot  help  seeing  it.  I  wonder  that 
he  has  borne  with  me  so  long." 

She  was  quite  feverish  in  her  anxiety  to  condemn 
herself  and  exculpate  her  lover.  She  did  not  droop 
her  face  against  the  pillow,  but  roused  herself,  turn 
ing  toward  Aimee,  and  talking  fast  and  eagerly.  A 
bright  spot  of  color  came  out  on  either  cheek,  though 
for  the  rest  she  was  pale  enough.  But  to  Aim^e's 


VAGABONDIA.  291 

far-seeing  eyes  there  was  something  so  forced  and 
unnaturally  strung  in  her  sudden  change  of  mood 
that  she  felt  a  touch  of  dread.  Suppose  something 
should  crush  her  newly  formed  hopes,  —  something 
terrible  and  unforeseen !  She  felt  a  chill  strike  her 
to  the  heart  at  the  mere  thought  of  such  a  possibility. 
She  knew  Dolly  better  than  the  rest  of  them  did,  — 
knew  her  highly  strung  temperament,  and  feared  it, 
too.  She  might  be  spirited  and  audacious  and 
thoughtless,  but  a  blow  coming  through  Grif  would 
crush  her  to  the  earth. 

"  You  —  you  must  n't  set  your  heart  too  much 
upon  his  getting  the  letter  in  the  morning,  Dolly," 
she  said.  "  He  might  be  away  when  it  came,  or  — 
or  twenty  things,  and  he  might  not  see  it  until  night, 
but  —  " 

"  Well,"  said  Dolly,  "  I  will  write  it  at  once  if  you 
will  give  me  the  pen  and  ink.  The  earlier  it  is  posted 
the  earlier  he  will  get  it." 

She  tried  to  rise  then ;  but  when  she  stood  up  her 
strength  seemed  to  fail  her,  and  she  staggered  and 
caught  at  Aimee's  arm.  But  the  next  minute  she 
laughed. 

"  How  queer  that  one  little  faint  should  make  me 
so  weak  ! "  she  said.  "  I  am  weak,  —  actually.  I  shall 
feel  right  enough  when  I  sit  down,  though." 

She  sat  down  at  the  table  with  her  writing 
materials,  and  Aimee  remained  upon  the  sofa  watch- 


292  VAGABONDIA. 

ing  her.  Her  hand  trembled  when  she  wrote  the  first 
few  lines,  but  she  seemed  to  become  steadier  after 
ward,  and  her  pen  dashed  over  the  paper  without  a 
pause  for  a  few  minutes.  The  spot  of  color  on  her 
cheeks  faded  and  burned  by  turns,  —  sometimes  it 
was  gone,  and  again  it  was  scarlet,  and  before  the 
second  page  was  finished  tears  were  falling  soft  and 
fast.  Once  she  even  stopped  to  wipe  them  away, 
because  they  blinded  her ;  but  when  she  closed  the 
envelope  she  did  not  look  exactly  unhappy,  though 
her  whole  face  was  tremulous. 

"  He  will  come  back,"  she  said,  softly.  "  He  will 
come  back  when  he  reads  this,  I  know.  I  wish  it  was 
to-morrow.  To-morrow  night  he  will  be  here,  and  we 
shall  have  our  happy  evening  after  all.  I  can  excuse 
myself  to  Miss  MacDowlas  for  another  day." 

"  Yes,"  said  Aimee,  a  trifle  slowly,  as  she  took  it 
from  her  hand.  "I  will  send  Belinda  out  with  it 
now."  And  she  carried  it  out  of  the  room. 

In  a  few  minutes  she  returned.  "  She  has  taken 
it,"  she  said.  "  And  now  you  had  better  go  to  bed, 
Dolly." 

But  Dolly's  color  had  faded  again,  and  she  was 
resting  her  forehead  upon  her  hands,  with  a  heavy, 
anxious,  worn  look,  which  spoke  of  sudden  reaction. 
She  lifted  her  face  with  a  half-absent  air. 

"  I  hope  it  will  be  in  time  for  to-night's  post/'  she 
said.  "  Do  you  think  it  will  ? " 


VAGABONDIA.  293 

"  I  am  not  quite  sure,  but  I  hope  so.  You  must 
come  to  bed,  Dolly." 

She  got  up  without  saying  more,  and  followed  her 
out  into  the  hall,  but  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase  she 
stopped.  "  I  have  not  seen  Tod,"  she  said.  "  Let  us 
go  into  'Toinette's  room  and  ask  her  to  let  us  have 
him  to-night.  We  can  carry  him  up-stairs  without 
wakening  him.  I  have  done  it  many  a  time.  I 
should  like  to  have  him  in  my  arms  to-night." 

So  they  turned  into  Mrs.  Phil's  room,  and  found 
that  handsome  young  matron  sitting  in  her  dressing- 
gown  before  the  fire,  brushing  out  her  great  dark 
mantle  of  hair. 

"  Don't  waken  Tod,"  she  cried  out,  as  usual ;  and 
then  when  she  saw  Dolly  she  broke  into  a  whispered 
volley  of  wondering  questions.  Where  in  the  world 
had  she  been  ?  What  had  she  been  doing  with  her 
self  until  such  an  hour  ?  Where  was  Grif  ?  Was  n't 
he  awfully  vexed  ?  What  had  he  said  when  she  came 
in  ?  All  of  which  inquiries  the  two  parried  as  best 
they  might. 

As  to  Tod  —  well,  Tod  turned  her  thoughts  in 
another  direction.  He  was  a  beauty,  and  a  king,  and 
a  darling,  and  he  was  growing  sweeter  and  brighter 
every  day,  —  which  comments,  by  the  way,  were 
always  the  first  made  upon  the  subject  of  the  im 
mortal  Tod.  He  was  so  amiable,  too,  and  so  clever 
and  so  little  trouble.  He  went  to  sleep  in  his  crib 


294  VAGABONDIA. 

every  night  at  seven,  and  never  awakened  until 
morning.  Aunt  Dolly  might  look  at  him  now  with 
those  two  precious  middle  fingers  in  his  little  mouth. 
And  Aunt  Dolly  did  look  at  him,  lifting  the  cover 
slightly,  and  bending  over  him  as  he  lay  there  making 
a  deep  dent  in  his  small,  plump  pillow,  —  a  very  king 
of  babies,  soft  and  round  and  warm,  the  white  lids 
drooped  and  fast  closed  over  his  dark  eyes,  their  long 
fringes  making  a  faint  shadow  on  his  fair,  smooth 
baby  cheeks,  the  two  fingers  in  his  sweet  mouth,  the 
round,  cleft  chin  turned  up,  the  firm,  tiny  white  pillar 
of  a  throat  bare. 

"  Oh,  my  bonny  baby ! "  cried  Dolly,  the  words 
rising  from  the  bottom  of  her  heart,  "how  fair  and 
sweet  you  are  ! " 

They  managed  to  persuade  Mrs.  Phil  to  allow  them 
to  take  possession  of  him  for  the  night;  and  when 
they  went  up-stairs  Dolly  carried  him,  folded  warmly 
in  his  downy  blanket,  and  held  close  and  tenderly  in 
her  arms. 

"  Aunt  Dolly's  precious  !  "  Aimee  heard  her  whis 
pering  to  him  as  she  gave  him  a  last  soft  good-night 
kiss  before  they  fell  asleep.  "  Aunt  Dolly's  comfort ! 
Everything  is  not  gone  so  long  as  he  is  left." 

But  she  evidently  passed  a  restless  night.  When 
Aimee  awakened  in  the  morning  she  found  her  stand 
ing  by  the  bedside,  dressed  and  looking  colorless  and 
heavy-eyed. 


VAGABONDIA.  295 

"  I  never  was  so  glad  to  see  morning  in  my  life," 
ehe  said.  "I  thought  the  day  would  never  break, 
I  —  I  wonder  how  long  it  will  be  before  Grif  will  be 
reading  his  letter  ?  " 

"He  may  get  it  before  nine  o'clock/'  answered 
Aimee ;  "  but  don't  trouble  about  it,  or  the  day  will 
seern  twice  as  long.  Take  Tod  down-stairs  and  wash 
and  dress  him.  It  will  give  you  something  else  to 
think  of." 

The  wise  one  herself  had  not  slept  well.  Truth  to 
say,  she  was  troubled  about  more  matters  than  one. 
She  was  troubled  to  account  for  the  meaning  of 
Dolly's  absence  with  Gowan.  Even  in  her  excite 
ment,  Dolly  had  not  felt  the  secret  quite  her  own, 
and  had  only  given  a  skeleton  explanation  of  the 
true  state  of  affairs. 

"  It  was  something  about  Mollie  and  Gerald  Chan- 
dos,"  she  had  said ;  "  and  if  I  had  not  gone  it  would 
have  been  worse  than  death  to  Mollie.  Don't  ask 
me  to  tell  you  exactly  what  it  was,  because  I  can't. 
Perhaps  Mollie  will  explain  herself  before  many  days 
are  over.  She  always  tells  you  everything,  you  know. 
But  it  was  no  real  fault  of  hers ;  she  was  silly,  but 
not  wicked,  and  she  is  safe  from  Gerald  Chandos  now 
forever.  And  /  saved  her,  Aimee." 

And  so  the  wise  one  had  lain  awake  and  thought 
of  all  sorts  of  possible  and  impossible  escapades.  But 
as  she  was  dressing  herself  this  morning,  the  truth 


296  VAGABONDIA. 

flashed  upon  her,  though  it  was  scarcely  the  whole 
truth. 

"  She  was  going  to  elope  with  him,"  she  exclaimed 
all  at  once ;  "  that  was  what  she  was  going  to  do.  Oh, 
Mollie,  Mollie,  what  a  romantic  goose  you  are ! " 

And  having  reached  this  solution,  she  closed  her 
small,  determined  mouth  in  discreet  silence,  resolving 
to  wait  for  Mollie's  confession,  which  she  knew  was 
sure  to  come  sooner  or  later.  As  to  Mollie  herself, 
she  came  down  subdued  and  silent.  She  had  slept 
off  the  effects  of  her  first  shock,  but  had  by  no  means 
forgotten  it.  She  would  never  forget  it,  poor  child, 
as  long  as  she  lived,  and  she  was  so  grateful  to  find 
herself  safe  in  the  shabby  rooms  again,  that  she  had 
very  little  to  say ;  and  since  she  was  in  so  novel  a 
mood,  the  members  of  the  family  who  were  not  in 
the  secret  decided  that  her  headache  must  have  been 
a  very  severe  one  indeed. 

"Don't  say  anything  to  her  about  Grif,"  Dolly 
cautioned  Aimee,  "  it  would  only  trouble  her."  And 
so  the  morning  passed;  but  even  at  twelve  o'clock 
there  was  no  Grif,  and  Dolly  began  to  grow  restless 
and  walk  to  and  fro  from  the  window  to  the  hearth 
at  very  short  intervals.  Dinner-hour  arrived,  too,  but 
still  no  arrival  •,  and  Dolly  sat  at  the  table,  among 
them,  eating  nothing  and  saying  little  enough.  How 
could  she  talk  when  every  step  upon  the  pavement 
set  her  heart  bounding  ?  When  dinner  was  over  and 


VAGABONDIA.  297 

Phil  had  gone  back  to  the  studio,  she  looked  so  help 
less  and  woe-begone  that  Aimee  felt  constrained  to 
comfort  her. 

"  It  may  have  been  delayed/'  she  whispered  to  her, 
"or  he  may  have  left  the  house  earlier  than  usual, 
and  so  won't  see  it  until  to-night.  He  will  be  here 
to-night,  Dolly,  depend  upon  it." 

And  so  they  waited.  Ah,  how  that  window  was 
watched  that  afternoon !  How  often  Dolly  started 
from  her  chair  and  ran  to  look  out,  half  suffocated  by 
her  heart-beatings  !  But  it  was  of  no  avail.  As 
twilight  came  on  she  took  her  station  before  it,  and 
knelt  upon  the  carpet  for  an  hour  watching;  but  in 
the  end  she  turned  away  all  at  once,  and,  running  to 
the  fire  again,  caught  Tod  up  in  her  arms,  and  startled 
Aimee  by  bursting  into  a  passion  of  tears. 

"  Oh,  Tod !  "  she  sobbed,  "  he  is  not  coming  !  He 
will  never  come  again,  —  he  has  left  us  forever  !  Oh, 
Tod,  love  poor  Aunt  Dolly,  darling."  And  she  hid  her 
face  on  the  little  fellow's  shoulder,  crying  piteously. 

She  did  not  go  to  the  window  again.  When  she 
was  calmer,  she  remained  on  her  chair,  colorless  and 
exhausted,  but  clinging  to  Tod  still  in  a  queer  pathetic 
way,  and  letting  him  pull  at  her  collar  and  her  rib 
bons  and  her  hair.  The  touch  of  his  relentless  baby 
hands  and  his  pretty,  tyrannical,  restless  ways  seemed 
to  help  her  a  little  and  half  distract  her  thoughts. 

She  became  quieter  and  quieter  as  the  evening 


298  VAGABONDIA. 

waned;  indeed,  she  was  so  quiet  that  Aimee  wondered. 
She  was  strangely  pale ;  but  she  did  not  start  when 
footsteps  were  heard  on  the  street,  and  she  ceased 
turning  toward  the  door  when  it  opened. 

"  He  —  he  may  come  in  the  morning/'  Aimee  fal 
tered  as  they  went  up-stairs  to  bed. 

"  No,  he  will  not,"  she  answered  her,  quite  steadily. 
"  It  will  be  as  I  said  it  would,  —  he  will  never  come 
again." 

But  when  they  reached  their  room,  the  unnatural, 
strained  quiet  gave  way,  and  she  flung  herself  upon 
the  bed,  sobbing  and  fighting  against  just  the  hyster 
ical  suffering  which  had  conquered  her  the  night 
before. 

It  was  the  very  ghost  of  the  old  indomitable  Dolly 
who  rose  the  next  morning.  Her  hands  shook  as  she 
dressed  her  hair,  and  there  were  shadows  under  her 
eyes.  But  she  must  go  back  to  Brabazon  Lodge, 
notwithstanding. 

"  I  can  say  I  have  a  nervous  headache,"  she  said  to 
Aimee.  "  Nervous  headaches  are  useful  things." 

"  If  a  letter  comes,"  said  Aimee,  "  I  will  bring  it  to 
you  myself." 

The  girl  turned  toward  her  suddenly,  her  eyes  hard 
and  bright  and  her  mouth  working. 

"  I  have  had  my  last  letter,"  she  said.  "  My  last 
letters  came  to  me  when  Grif  laid  that  package  upon 
the  table.  He  has  done  with  me." 


VAGABONDIA.  299 


"Done  with  you  ?  "  cried  Aimee,  frightened  by  her 
manner.  "  With  you,  Dolly  ? " 

Then  for  the  first  time  Dolly  flushed  scarlet  to  the 
very  roots  of  her  hair. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  he  has  done  with  me.  If  there 
had  been  half  a  chance  that  he  would  ever  come  near 
me  again,  the  letter  I  wrote  to  him  that  night  would 
have  brought  him.  A  word  of  it  would  have  brought 
him,  —  the  first  word.  But  he  is  having  his  revenge 
by  treating  it  with  contempt.  He  is  showing  me  that 
it  is  too  late,  and  that  no  humility  on  my  part  can 
touch  him.  I  scarcely  could  have  thought  that  of 
him,"  dropping  into  a  chair  by  the  toilet-table  and 
hiding  her  face  in  her  hands. 

"  It  is  not  like  Grif  to  let  me  humble  myself  for 
nothing.  And  I  did  humble  myself,  —  ah,  how  I  did 
humble  myself !  That  letter,  —  if  you  could  have 
seen  it,  Aimee,  —  it  was  all  on  fire  with  love  for  him. 
I  laid  myself  under  his  feet,  —  and  he  has  trodden  me 
down !  Grif  —  Grif,  it  was  n't  like  you,  —  it  was  n't 
worthy  of  you,  —  it  was  n't  indeed  !  " 

Her  worst  enemy  would  have  felt  herself  avenged 
if  she  had  heard  the  anguish  in  her  voice.  She  was 
crushed  to  the  earth  under  this  last  great  blow  of 
feeling  that  he  had  altered  so  far.  Grif,  —  her  whilom 
greatest  help  and  comfort,  —  the  best  gift  God  had 
given  her !  Dear,  old,  tender,  patient  fellow  !  as  she 
had  been  wont  to  call  him  in  her  fits  of  penitence. 


300  VAGABOND1A. 

Grif,  whose  arms  had  always  been  open  to  her  at  hei 
best  and  at  her  worst,  who  had  loved  her  and  borne 
with  her,  and  waited  upon  her  and  done  her  bidding 
since  they  were  both  little  more  than  children.    When 
had  Grif  ever  turned  from  her  before  ?   Never.    When 
had  Grif  ever  been  cold  or  unfaithful  in  word  or  deed  ? 
Never.    When  had  he  ever  failed  her  ?   Never  — never 
—  never  —  until  now  !     And  now  that  he  had  failed 
her  at  last,  she  felt  that  the  bitter  end  had  corne. 
The  end  to  everything,  —  to  all  the  old  hopes  and 
dreams,  to  all  the  old  sweet  lovers'  quarrels  and  meet 
ings  and  partings,  to  all  their  clinging  together,  to  all 
the  volumes  and  volumes  of  love  and  trust  that  lay 
in  the  past,  to  all  the  world  of  simple  bliss  that  lay 
still  unrevealed  in  their  lost  future,  to  all  the  blessed 
old  days  when  they  had  pictured  to  each  other  what 
that  future  was  to  be.     It  had  all  gone  for  nothing 
in  the  end.     It  must  all  have  gone  for  nothing,  when 
Grif — a  new    Grif — not  her  own  true,  stanch,  pa 
tient  darling  —  not  her  own  old  lover  —  could  read 
her  burning,  tender,  suffering  words  and  pass  them  by 
without  a  word  of  answer.     And  with  this  weight  of 
despair  and  pain  upon  her  heart,  she  went  back  to  the 
wearisome  routine  of  Brabazon  Lodge,  —  went  back 
heavy  with  humiliation  and  misery  which  she  scarcely 
realized,  —  went  back  suffering  as  no  one  who  knew 
her  —  not  even  Grif  himself  —  could  ever  have  un. 
derstood  that  it  was  possible  for  her  to  suffer.      No 


VAGABONDIA.  301 

innocent  coquetries  now,  no  spirit,  no  jests ;  for  the 
present  at  least  she  had  done  with  them,  too. 

"You  are  not  in  your  usual  spirits,  my  dear,"  said 
Miss  MacDowlas. 

"  No,"  she  answered,  quietly,  "  I  am  not." 

This  state  of  affairs  continued  for  four  days,  and 
then  one  morning,  sitting  at  her  sewing  in  the 
breakfast-room,  she  was  startled  almost  beyond  self- 
control  by  a  servant's  announcement  that  a  visitor 
had  arrived. 

"  One  of  your  sisters,  ma'am,"  said  the  parlor-maid. 
"  Not  the  youngest,  I  think." 

She  was  in  the  room  in  two  seconds,  and  flew  to 
Aimee,  trembling  all  over  with  excitement. 

"Not  a  letter!"  she  cried,  hysterically.  "It  isn't 
a  letter,  —  it  can't  be  ! "  And  she  put  her  hand  to  her 
side  and  fairly  panted. 

The  poor  little  wise  one  confronted  her  with  some 
thing  like  fear.  She  could  not  bear  to  tell  her  the 
ill  news  she  had  come  to  break. 

"  Dolly,  dear  ! "  she  said,  "  please  sit  down ;  and  — 
please  don't  look  at  me  so.  It  is  n't  good  news.  I 
must  tell  you  the  truth ;  it  is  bad  news,  cruel  news. 
Oh,  don't  look  so!" 

They  were  standing  near  the  sofa,  and  Dolly  gave 
one  little  moan,  and  sank  down  beside  it. 

"  Cruel  news ! "  she  cried,  throwing  up  her  hand. 
"  Yes,  I  might  have  known  that,  —  I  might  have 


302  VAGABONDIA. 

known  that  it  would  be  cruel,  if  it  was  news  at  all 
Every  one  is  cruel,  —  the  whole  world  is  cruel ;  even 
Grif,  — even  Grif!" 
Aimee  burst  into  tears. 

"  Oh,  Dolly,  1  did  my  best  for  you!  "  she  said.  "I 
did,  indeed ;  but  you  must  try  to  bear  it,  dear,  —  it  is 
your  own  letter  back  again." 

Then  the  kneeling  figure  seeme.d  to  stiffen  and 
grow  rigid  in  a  second.  Dolly  turned  her  deathly 
face,  with  her  eyes  aflame  and  dilated. 

"  Did  he  send  it  back  to  me  ? "  she  asked,  in  a  slow, 
fearful  whisper. 

Her  expression  was  so  hard  and  dreadful  a  one 
that  Aimee  sprang  to  her  side  and  caught  hold  of 
her. 

"  No,  —  no  !  "  she  said ;  "  not  so  bad  as  that !  He 
would  never  have  done  that.  He  has  never  had  it. 
He  has  gone  away  ;  we  don't  know  where.  It  came 
from  the  dead-letter  office." 

Dolly  took  the  letter  from  her  and  opened  it  slowly, 
and  there,  as  she  knelt,  read  it,  word  for  word,  as  if  it 
had  been  something  she  had  never  seen  before.  Then 
she  put  it  back  into  the  envelope  and  laid  it  down. 

"A  dead  letter!"  she  said.  "A  dead  letter!  If 
he  had  sent  it  back  to  me,  I  think  it  would  have  cured 
me ;  but  now  there  is  no  cure  for  me  at  all.  If  he 
had  read  it,  he  would  have  come,  —  if  he  had  only 
read  it ;  but  it  is  a  dead  letter,  and  he  is  gone." 


VAGABONDIA.  303 

There  were  no  tears,  the  blow  had  been  too  heavy. 
It  was  only  Aimee  who  had  tears  to  shed,  and  it  was 
Dolly  who  tried  to  console  her  in  a  strained,  weary 
sort  of  way. 

"  Don't  cry,"  she  said,  "  it  is  all  over  now.  Perhaps 
the  worst  part  of  the  pain  is  past.  There  will  be  no 
house  at  Putney,  and  the  solitary  rose-bush  will 
bloom  for  some  one  else ;  they  may  sell  the  green 
sofa,  now,  as  cheap  as  they  will,  we  shall  never  buy 
it.  Our  seven  years  of  waiting  have  all  ended  in  a 
dead  letter." 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

SEVEN  LONG-  TEARS,  BELOVED,  SEVEN  LONG  YEARS. 

AND  so  GUii  disappeared  from  the  haunts  of 
Vagabondi a,  and  was  seen  no  more.  And  to 
Aimee  was  left  the  dslicate  task  of  explaining  the 
cause  of  his  absence,  which,  it  must  be  said,  she  did 
in  a  manner  at  once  creditable  to  her  tact  and  affec 
tion  for  both  Dolly  and  the  unconscious  cause  of  all 
her  misery. 

"There  has  been  a  misunderstanding,"  she  said, 
"  which  was  no  fault  of  Dolly's,  and  scarcely  a  fault 
of  Grif 's ;  and  it  has  ended  very  unhappily,  and  Grif 
has  gone  away,  and  just  at  present  it  seems  as  if 
everything  was  over,  —  but  I  can't  help  hoping  it  is 
not  so  bad  as  that." 

"  Oh,  he  will  come  back  again  —  safe  enough," 
commented  Phil,  philosophically,  holding  paint-brush 
No.  1  in  his  mouth,  while  he  manipulated  with  No.  2. 
"  He  will  come  back  in  sackcloth  and  ashes ;  he  is 
just  that  sort,  you  know,  —  thunder  and  lightning, 
fire  and  tow.  And  they  will  make  it  up  ecstatically 
in  secret,  and  pretend  that  nothing  has  been  the 


VAGABONDIA.  305 

matter,  and  there  will  be  no  going  into  the  parlor  for 
weeks  without  whistling  all  the  way  across  the  hall." 

"  I  always  go  in  backward  after  they  have  had  a 
quarrel,"  said  Mollie,  looking  up  from  a  half-made 
pinafore  of  Tod's,  which,  in  the  zeal  of  her  repentance, 
she  had  decided  on  finishing. 

"Not  a  bad  plan,  either,"  said  Phil.  "We  all 
know  how  their  differences  of  opinion  terminate. 
As  to  matters  being  at  an  end  between  them,  that  is 
all  nonsense ;  they  could  n't  live  without  each  other 
six  months.  Dolly  would  take  to  unbecoming  bon 
nets,  and  begin  to  neglect  her  back  hair,  and  Grif 
would  take  to  prussic  acid  or  absinthe." 

"Well,  I  hope  he  will  come  back,"  said  Aimee; 
"  but,  in  the  meantime,  I  want  to  ask  you  to  let  the 
affair  rest  altogether,  and  not  say  a  word  to  Dolly 
when  she  conies.  It  will  be  the  kindest  thing  you 
can  do.  Just  let  things  go  on  as  they  have  always 
done,  and  ignore  every  thing  new  you  may  see." 

Phil  looked  up  from  his  easel  in  sudden  surprise ; 
something  in  her  voice  startled  him,  serenely  as  he 
was  apt  to  view  all  unexpected  intelligence. 

"  I  say,"  he  broke  out,  "  you  don't  mean  that  Dolly 
is  very  much  cut  up  about  it  ?  " 

The  fair  little  oracle  hesitated ;  remembering 
Dolly's  passionate  despair  and  grief  over  that  "  dead 
letter,"  she  could  scarcely  trust  herself  to  speak. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered  at  last,  feeling  it  would  be 
20 


306  VAGABONDIA. 

best  only  to  commit  herself  in  Phil's  own  words 
*'  she  is  very  much  cut  up." 

"  Whew  !  "  whistled  Phil ;  "  that  is  worse  than  I 
thought ! "  And  the  matter  ended  in  his  going  back 
to  his  picture  and  painting  furiously  for  a  few  min 
utes,  with  an  almost  reflective  air. 

They  did  not  see  anything  of  Dolly  for  weeks. 
She  wrote  to  them  now  and  then,  but  she  did  not 
pay  another  visit  to  Bloomsbury  Place.  It  was  not 
the  old  home  to  her  now,  and  she  dreaded  seeing  it 
in  its  new  aspect,  —  the  aspect  which  was  desolate  of 
Gri£  Most  of  her  letters  came  to  Aimee ;  but  she 
rarely  referred  to  her  trouble,  rather  seeming  to  avoid 
it  than  otherwise.  And  the  letters  themselves  were 
bright  enough,  seeming,  too.  She  had  plenty  to  say 
about  Miss  MacDowlas  and  their  visitors  and  her 
own  duties ;  indeed,  any  one  but  Aimee  would  have 
been  puzzled  by  her  courage  and  apparent  good 
spirits.  But  Aimee  saw  below  the  surface,  and  un 
derstood,  and,  understanding,  was  fonder  of  her  than 
ever. 

As  both  Dolly  and  herself  had  expected,  Mollie 
did  not  keep  her  secret  from  the  oracle  many  weeks. 
It  was  too  much  for  her  to  bear  alone,  and  one  night, 
in  a  fit  of  candor  and  remorse,  she  poured  out  every 
thing  from  first  to  last,  all  her  simple  and  unsophisti 
cated  dreams  of  grandeur,  all  her  gullibility,  all  hei 
danger,  —  everything,  indeed,  but  the  story  of  her 


VAGABONDIA.  307 

pitiful  little  fancy  for  Ealpli  Gowan.  She  could  not 
give  that  up,  even  to  Aimee,  though  at  the  close  of 
her  confidence  she  was  unable  to  help  referring  to 
him. 

"  And  as  to  Mr.  Gowan/'  she  said,  "  how  can  I 
ever  speak  to  him  again!  but,  perhaps,  he  would  not 
speak  to  me.  He  must  think  I  am  wicked  and  bold 
and  hardened  —  and  bad,"  with  a  fresh  sob  at  every 
adjective.  "  Oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!"  burying  her  face 
in  Aimee's  lap,  "  if  I  had  only  stayed  at  home  and 
been  good,  like  you.  He  could  have  respected  me, 
at  least,  could  n't  he  ?  And  now  —  oh,  what  am  I 
to  do!" 

Aimee  could  not  help  sighing.  If  she  only  had 
stayed  at  home,  how  much  happier  they  all  might 
have  been  !  But  she  had  promised  Dolly  not  to  add 
to  her  unhappiness  by  hinting  at  the  truth,  so  she 
kept  her  own  counsel. 

It  was  fully  three  months  before  they  saw  Ealph 
Gowan  again.  He  had  gone  on  the  Continent,  they 
heard.  A  feeling  of  delicacy  had  prompted  the  jour 
ney.  As  long  as  he  remained  in  London,  he  could 
scarcely  drop  out  of  his  old  friendly  position  at 
Bloomsbury  Place,  and  he  felt  that  for  a  while  at 
least  Mollie  would  scarcely  find  it  easy  to  face  him. 
So  he  went  away  and  rambled  about  until  he 
thought  she  would  have  time  to  get  over  her  first 
embarrassment. 


308  VAGABONDIA. 

But  at  the  end  of  the  three  months  he  came  back, 
and  one  afternoon  surprised  them  all  by  appearing 
amongst  them  again.  Mollie,  sitting  perseveringly 
at  work  over  her  penitential  sewing,  shrank  a  little, 
and  dropped  her  eyelids  when  he  came  in,  but  she 
managed  to  behave  with  creditable  evenness  of  man 
ner  after  all,  and  the  rest  welcomed  him  warmly. 

"  I  have  been  to  Brabazon  Lodge,"  he  said  at 
length  to  Aimee.  "  I  spent  Monday  evening  there, 
and  was  startled  at  the  change  I  found  in  your  sister. 
I  did  not  know  she  was  ill." 

Aimee  started  herself,  and  looked  up  at  him  with 
a  frightened  face. 

"  111 ! "  she  said.     «  Did  you  say  ill  ? " 

It  was  his  turn  to  be  surprised  then. 

"  I  thought  her  looking  ill,"  he  answered.  "  She 
seemed  to  me  to  be  both  paler  and  thinner.  But  you 
must  not  let  me  alarm  you,  —  I  thought,  of  course, 
that  you  would  know." 

"  She  has  never  mentioned  it  in  her  letters/'  Aimee 
said.  "  And  she  has  not  been  home  for  three  months, 
so  we  have  not  seen  her." 

"  Don't  let  me  give  you  a  false  impression,"  re 
turned  Gowan,  eagerly.  "She  seemed  in  excellent 
spirits,  and  was  quite  her  old  self;  indeed,  I  scarcely 
should  imagine  that  she  herself  placed  sufficient 
stress  upon  the  state  of  her  health.  She  insisted 
that  she  was  well  when  I  spoke  to  her  about  it." 


VAGABONDIA.  309 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  told  me,"  answered  Aimee. 
"  She  is  too  indifferent  sometimes.  I  am  afraid  she 
would  not  have  let  us  know.  I  thank  you,  very 
much." 

He  had  other  thanks  before  he  left  the  house.  As 
he  was  going  out,  Mollie,  in  her  character  of  porteress, 
opened  the  hall  door  for  him,  and,  having  opened  it, 
stood  there  with  Tod's  new  garment  half  concealed, 
a  pair  of  timid  eyes  uplifted  to  his  face,  a  small, 
trembling,  feverish  hand  held  out. 

"Mr.  Go  wan,"  she  said,  in  a  low,  fluttering  voice. 
"Oh,  if  you  please  —  " 

He  took  the  little  hot  hand,  feeling  some  tender 
remorse  for  not  having  tried  to  draw  her  out  more 
and  help  her  out  of  her  painful  shyness  and  restraint. 

"  What  is  it,  Mollie  ? "  he  asked. 

"  I  want — I  want,"  fluttering  all  over,  — "  I  want  to 
thank  you  better  than  I  did  that  —  that  dreadful 
night.  I  was  so  frightened  I  could  scarcely  under 
stand.  I  understand  more  —  now  —  and  I  want  to 
tell  you  how  grateful  I  am  —  and  how  grateful  I 
shall  be  until  I  die  —  and  I  want  to  ask  you  to  try 
not  to  think  I  was  very  wicked.  I  did  not  mean  to 
be  wicked  —  I  was  only  vain  and  silly,  and  I  thought 
it  would  be  such  a  grand  thing  to  —  to  have  plenty 
of  new  dresses,"  hanging  her  sweet,  humble  face,  "and 
to  wear  diamonds,  and  be  Lady  Chaudos,  if — if  Mr. 
Chandos  came  into  the  title.  Of  course  that  was 


310  VAGABONDIA. 

wicked,  but  it  was  n't  —  I  was  n't  as  bad  as  I  seemed. 
I  was  so  vain  that  —  that  I  was  quite  sure  he  loved 
me,  and  would  be  very  glad  if  I  married  him.  He 
always  said  he  would."  And  the  tears  rolled  fast 
down  her  cheeks. 

"  Poor  Mollie ! "  said  Gowan,  patting  the  trembling 
hand  as  if  it  had  been  a  baby's.  "  Poor  child  !  " 

"  But,"  Mollie  struggled  on,  penitently,  "  I  shall 
never  be  so  foolish  again.  And  I  am  going  to  try 
to  be  good — like  Aimee.  I  am  learning  to  mend 
things ;  and  I  am  beginning  to  make  things  for  Tod. 
This,"  holding  up  her  work  as  proof,  "  is  a  dress  for 
him.  It  is  n't  very  well  done,"  with  innocent  dubious 
ness  ;  "  but  Aimee  says  I  am  improving.  And  so,  if 
you  please,  would  you  be  so  kind  as  not  to  think 
quite  so  badly  of  me  ? " 

It  was  all  so  humble  and  pretty  and  remorseful 
that  he  was  quite  touched  by  it.  That  old  tempta 
tion  to  kiss  and  console  her  made  it  quite  dangerous 
for  him  to  linger.  She  was  such  a  lovable  sight  with 
her  tear- wet  cheeks,  and  that  dubious  but  faithfully 
worked-at  garment  of  Tod's  in  her  hand. 

"  Mollie,"  he  said,  "  will  you  believe  what  I  say  to 
you?" 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  eagerly. 

"Then  I  say  to  you  that  I  never  believed  you 
wicked  for  an  instant, — not  for  one  instant;  and  now 
I  believe  it  less  than  ever ;  on  the  contrary,  I  believe 


VAGABONDIA.  311 

you  are  a  good,  honest  little  creature.  Let  us  for 
get  Gerald  Chandos,  —  he  is  not  worth  remembering. 
And  go  on  with  Tod's  pinafores  and  dresses,  my  dear, 
and  don't  be  discouraged  if  they  are  a  failure  at  first, 
—  though  to  my  eyes  that  dress  is  a  most  sumptuous 
affair.  And  as  to  being  like  Aimee,  you  cannot  be 
like  any  one  better  and  wiser  and  sweeter  than  that 
same  little  maiden.  There  !  I  mean  every  word  I 
have  said." 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  "  faltered  Mollie. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  quite  sure." 

He  shook  hands  with  her,  and,  bidding  her  good 
night,  left  her  standing  in  the  narrow  hall  all  aglow 
with  joy.  And  he,  outside,  was  communing  with 
himself  as  he  walked  away. 

"  She  is  as  sweet  in  her  way  as  —  as  the  other,"  he 
was  saying.  "  And  as  well  worth  loving.  And  what 
a  face  she  has,  if  one  only  saw  it  with  a  lover's  eyes  ! 
What  a  face  she  has,  even  seeing  it  with  such  impar 
tial  eyes  as  mine  ! " 


"  My  dear  Dolly  !  "  said  Aimee. 

"  My  dear  Aime'e  ! "  said  Dolly. 

These  were  the  first  words  the  two  exchanged  when, 
the  evening  after  Ealph  Gowan's  visit,  the  anxious 
young  oracle  presented  herself  at  -Brabazon  Lodge, 
and  was  handed  into  Dolly's  bedroom. 


312  VAGABOND1A. 

Visitors  were  expected,  and  Dolly  had  been  dres  • 
ing,  and  was  just  putting  the  finishing  touches  to  her 
toilet  when  Aimee  came  in,  and,  seeing  her  as  she 
turned  from  the  glass  to  greet  her,  the  wise  one  could 
scarcely  speak,  and,  even  after  she  had  been  kissed 
most  heartily,  could  only  hold  the  girl's  J  >nd  and 
stand  looking  up  into  her  changed  face,  feeling 
almost  shocked. 

"  Oh,  dear  me,  Dolly  ! "  she  said  again.  "  Oh,  my 
dear,  what  have  you  been  doing  to  yourself  ? " 

"  Doing ! "  echoed  Dolly,  just  as  she  would  have 
spoken  three  or  four  months  ago.  "I  have  been 
doing  nothing,  and  rather  enjoying  it.  What  is  the 
matter  with  me  ?  "  glancing  into  the  mirror.  "  Pale  ? 
That  is  the  result  of  Miss  MacDowlas's  beneficence, 
you  see.  She  has  presented  me  with  this  grand  black 
silk  gown,  and  it  makes  me  look  pale.  Black  always 
did,  you  know." 

But  notwithstanding  her  readiness  of  speech,  it  did 
not  need  another  glance  to  understand  what  Ealph 
Gowan  had  meant  when  he  said  that  she  was  altered. 
The  lustreless  heavy  folds  of  her  black  silk  might 
contrast  sharply  with  her  white  skin,  but  they  could 
not  bring  about  that  subtle,  almost  incomprehensible 
change  in  her  whole  appearance.  It  was  such  a 
subtle  change  that  it  was  difficult  to  comprehend. 
The  round,  lissome  figure  she  had  always  been  so 
pardonably  vain  about,  and  Grif  had  so  admired,  had 


VAGABOND1A.  313 

fallen  a  little,  giving  just  a  hint  at  a  greater  change 
which  might  show  itself  sooner  or  later ;  her  face 
seemed  a  trifle  more  clearly  cut  than  it  ought  to  have 
been,  and  the  slender  throat,  set  in  its  surrounding 
Elizabethan  frill  of  white,  seemed  more  slender  than 
it  had  used  to  be.  Each  change  was  slight  enough 
in  itself,  but  all  together  gave  a  shadowy  suggestion 
of  alteration  to  affectionately  quick  eyes. 

"  You  are  ill,"  said  Aimee.  "  And  you  never  told 
me.  It  was  wrong  of  you.  Don't  tell  me  it  is  your 
black  dress ;  your  eyes  are  too  big  and  bright  for  any 
one  who  is  well,  and  your  hand  is  thinner  than  it 
ever  was  before.  Why,  I  can  feel  the  difference  as  I 
hold  it,  and  it  is  as  feverish  as  it  can  be." 

"  You  good,  silly  little  thing  !  "  said  Dolly,  laugh 
ing.  "  I  am  not  ill  at  all.  I  have  caught  a  cold,  per 
haps,  but  that  is  all." 

"No  you  have  not,"  contradicted  Aimee,  with  piti 
ful  sharpness.  "  You  have  not  caught  cold,  and  you 
must  not  tell  me  so.  You  are  ill,  and  you  have  been 
ill  for  weeks.  The  worst  of  colds  could  never  make 
you  look  like  this.  Mr.  Gowan  might  well  be 
startled  and  wonder  —  " 

"  Mr.  Gowan  ! "  Dolly  interrupted  her.  "  Did  he 
say  that  lie  was  startled  ? " 

"  Yes,  he  did,"  Aimee  answered.  "And  that  was 
what  brought  me  here.  He  was  at  Bloom sbury  Place 
last  night  and  told  me  all  about  you,  and  I  made  up 


314  VAGABONDIA. 

my  mind  that  minute  that  I  would  come  and  judge 
for  myself." 

Then  the  girl  gave  in.  She  sat  down  on  a  chair 
by  the  dressing-table  and  rested  her  forehead  on  her 
hand,  laughing  faintly,  as  if  in  protest  against  her 
own  subjugation. 

"  Then  I  shall  have  to  submit,"  she  said.  "  The 
fact  is,  I  sometimes  fancy  I  do  feel  weaker  than  I 
ought  to.  It  is  n't  like  me  to  be  weak.  I  was  always 
so  strong,  you  know,  —  stronger  than  all  the  rest  of 
you,  I  thought.  Miss  MacDowlas  says  I  do  not  look 
well.  I  suppose,"  with  a  half-sigh,  "  that  every  one 
will  see  it  soon.  Aimee,"  hesitating,  "  don't  tell  them 
at  home." 

Aimee  slipped  an  arm  around  her,  and  drew  her 
head  —  dressed  in  all  the  old  elaborateness  of  pretty 
coils  and  braids  —  upon  her  own  shoulder. 

"Darling,"  she  whispered,  trying  to  restrain  her 
tears,  "  I  must  tell  them  at  home,  because  I  must  take 
you  home  to  be  nursed." 

"No,  no  !"  said  Dolly,  starting,  "  that  would  never 
do.  It  would  never  do  even  to  think  of  it.  I  am  not 
so  ill  as  that,  —  not  ill  enough  to  be  nursed.  Besides," 
her  voice  sinking  all  at  once,  "  I  could  n't  go  home, 
Aimee,  —  I  could  not  bear  to  go  home  now.  That  is 
why  I  have  stayed  away  so  long.  I  believe  it  would 
Ull  me ! " 

It  was  impossible  for  Aimee  to  hear  this  and  be 


VAGABONDIA.  315 

silent  longer.  She  had,  indeed,  only  been  waiting  for 
some  reference  to  the  past. 

"  I  knew  it  was  that,"  she  cried.  "  I  knew  it  the 
moment  Mr.  Gowan  told  me.  And  I  have  feared  it 
from  the  first.  Nothing  but  that  could  have  broken 
you  down  like  this.  Dolly,  if  Grif  could  see  you 
now,  he  would  give  his  heart's  blood  to  undo  what  he 
has  done." 

The  pale  little  hands  lying  upon  the  black  dress 
began  to  tremble  in  a  strange,  piteous  weakness. 

"  One  cannot  forget  so  much  in  so  short  a  time," 
Dolly  pleaded.  "  Arid  it  is  so  much,  —  more  than 
even  you  think.  One  cannot  forget  seven  years  in 
three  months,  —  give  me  seven  months,  Aimee.  I 
shall  be  better  in  time,  when  I  have  forgotten." 

Forgotten !  Even  those  far  duller  of  perception 
than  Aimee  could  have  seen  that  she  would  not  soon 
forget.  She  had  not  begun  in  the  right  way  to  forget. 
The  pain  which  had  made  the  pretty  figure  and  the 
soft,  round  face  look  faintly  worn,  was  sharper  to-day 
than  it  had  been  even  three  months  before,  and  it  was 
gaining  in  sharpness  every  day,  nay,  every  hour. 

"  The  days  are  so  long,"  she  said,  plaiting  the  silk 
of  her  dress  on  the  restless  hands.  "  We  are  so  quiet, 
except  when  we  have  visitors,  and  somehow  visitors 
begin  to  tire  me.  I  scarcely  ever  knew  what  it  was 
to  be  tired  before.  I  don't  care  even  to  scatter  the 
Philistines  now,"  trying  to  smile.  "  I  am  not  even 


316  VAGABONDIA. 

roused  by  the  prospect  of  meeting  Lady  Augusta  to 
night.  I  forgot  to  tell  you  she  was  coming,  did  n't  I  ? 
How  she  would  triumph  if  she  knew  how  I  have  fallen 
and  —  and  how  miserable  I  am  !  She  used  to  say  I 
had  not  a  thought  above  the  cut  of  my  dresses.  She 
never  knew  about  —  him,  poor  fellow  ! " 

It  was  curious  to  see  how  she  still  clung  to  that 
tender  old  pitying  way  of  speaking  of  Grif. 

Aimee  began  to  cry  over  her  again. 

"You  must  come  home,  Dolly,"  she  said.  "You 
must,  indeed.  You  will  get  worse  and  worse  if  you 
stay  here.  I  will  speak  to  Miss  MacDowlas  myself. 
You  say  she  is  kind  to  you." 

"  Dear  little  woman,"  said  Dolly,  closing  her  eyes 
as  she  let  her  head  rest  upon  the  girl's  shoulder. 
"  Dear,  kind  little  woman  !  indeed  it  will  be  best  for 
me  to  stay  here.  It  is  as  I  said,  —  indeed  it  is.  If  I 
were  to  go  home  I  should  die  !  Oh,  don't  you  know 
how  cruel  it  would  be  !  To  sit  there  in  my  chair  and 
see  his  old  place  empty,  —  to  sit  and  hear  the  people 
passing  in  the  street  and  know  I  should  never  hear 
his  footstep  again,  —  to  see  the  door  open  again  and 
again,  and  know  he  would  never,  never  pass  through. 
It  would  break  my  heart,  —  it  would  break  my  heart ! " 

"  It  is  broken  now  ! "  cried  Aimee,  in  a  burst  of 
grief,  and  she  could  protest  no  more. 

But  she  remained  as  long  as  she  well  could,  petting 
and  talking  to  her.  She  knew  better  than  to  offer 


VAGABONDIA.  317 

her  threadbare  commonplace  comfort,  so  she  took 
refuge  in  talking  of  life  at  Bloomsbury  Place,  —  about 
Tod  and  Mollie  and  'Toinette,  and  the  new  picture 
Phil  was  at  work  upon.  But  it  was  a  hard  matter  for 
her  to  control  herself  sufficiently  to  conceal  that  she 
was  almost  in  an  agony  of  anxiousness  and  forebod 
ing.  What  was  she  to  do  with  this  sadly  altered 
Dolly,  the  mainspring  of  whose  bright,  spirited  life 
was  gone  ?  How  was  she  to  help  her  if  she  could  not 
restore  Grif,  —  it  was  only  Grif  she  wanted,  —  and 
where  was  he  ?  It  was  just  as  she  had  always  said  it 
would  be,  —  without  Grif,  Dolly  was  Dolly  no  longer, 
—  for  Grif 's  sake  her  faithful,  passionate  girl's  heart 
was  breaking  slowly. 

Lady  Augusta,  encountering  her  ex-governess  in  the 
drawing-room  that  evening,  raised  her  eyeglass  to  that 
noble  feature,  her  nose,  and  condescended  a  question 
ing  inspection,  full  of  disapproval  of  the  heavy,  well- 
falling  black  silk  and  the  Elizabethan  frill. 

"You  are  looking  shockingly  pale  and  thin,"  she 
said. 

Dolly  glanced  at  her  reflection  in  an  adjacent  mir 
ror.  She  only  smiled  faintly,  in  silence. 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  you  were  ill,"  proceeded  her 
ladyship. 

"I  cannot  say  that  I  am  ill,"  Dolly  answered. 
"  How  is  Phemie  ?  " 

"Euphemia,"  announced  Lady  Augusta,  "is  well, 


318  VAGABONDIA. 

and  I  trust?  as  if  she  rather  doubted  her  having  so 
far  overcome  old  influences  of  an  evil  nature,  —  "I 
trust  improving,  though  I  regret  to  hear  from  her 
preceptress  that  she  is  singularly  deficient  in  appli 
cation  to  her  musical  lessons." 

Dolly  thought  of  the  professor  with  the  lumpy  face, 
and  smiled  again.  Phemie's  despairing  letters  to 
herself  sufficiently  explained  why  her  progress  was 
so  slow. 

"I  hope,"  said  her  ladyship  to  Miss  MacDowlas, 
afterward,  "that  you  are  satisfied  with  Dorothea's 
manner  of  filling  her  position  in  your  household." 

"  I  never  was  so  thoroughly  satisfied  in  my  life," 
returned  the  old  lady,  stiffly.  "  She  is  a  very  quick 
witted,  pleasantly  natured  girl,  and  I  am  extremely 
fond  of  her." 

"  Ah,"  waving  a  majestic  and  unbending  fan  of 
carved  ivory.  "  She  has  possibly  improved  then.  I 
observe  that  she  is  going  off  very  much,  —  in  the  mat 
ter  of  looks,  I  mean." 

"  I  heard  a  gentleman  remark,  a  few  minutes  ago," 
replied  Miss  MacDowlas,  "  that  the  girl  looked  like  a 
white  rose,  and  I  quite  agreed  with  him ;  but  I  am 
fond  of  her,  as  I  said,  and  you  are  not." 

Her  ladyship  shuddered  faintly,  but  she  did  not 
make  any  further  comment,  perhaps  feeling  that  her 
hostess  was  too  powerful  to  encounter. 

At  midnight  the  visitors  went  their  several  ways, 


1/AGABONDIA.  319 

and  after  they  had  dispersed  and  the  rooms  were 
chalet  once  again,  Miss  MacDowlas  sent  her  compan 
ion  to  bed,  or,  at  least,  bade  her  good-night. 

"  You  had  better  go  at  once,"  she  said.  "  I  will 
remain  to  give  orders  to  the  servants.  You  look 
tired.  The  excitement  has  been  too  much  for  you." 

So  Dolly  thanked  her  and  left  the  room  :  but  Miss 
MacDowlas  did  not  hear  her  ascend  the  stairs,  and 
accordingly,  after  listening  a  moment  or  so,  went  to 
the  room  door  and  looked  out  into  the  hall.  And 
right  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase  lay  Dolly  Crewe, 
the  lustreless,  trailing  black  dress  making  her  skin 
seem  white  as  marble,  her  pretty  face  turned  half 
downward  upon  her  arm. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  girl  returned  to  conscious 
ness  to  find  herself  lying  comfortably  in  bed,  the 
chamber  empty  save  for  herself  and  Miss  MacDowlas, 
who  was  standing  at  her  side  watching  her. 

"  Better  ? "  she  said.  "  That  is  right,  my  dear. 
The  evening  was  too  much  for  you,  as  I  was  afraid 
it  would  be.  You  are  not  as  strong  as  you  should 
be." 

"  No,"  Dolly  answered,  quietly. 

There  was  a  silence  of  a  few  minutes,  during  which 
she  closed  her  eyes  again;  but  she  heard  Miss  Mac- 
Dowlas  fidgeting  a  little,  and  at  last  she  heard  her 
speak. 

"  My  dear,"  she  said,  "  I  think  I  ought  to  tell  you 


320  VAGABONDIA. 

something.  When  you  fell,  I  suppose  you  must 
somehow  or  other  have  pressed  the  spring  of  your 
locket,  for  it  was  open  when  I  went  to  you,  and  —  I 
saw  the  face  inside  it." 

"  Grif,"  said  Dolly,  in  a  tired  voice,  "  Grif." 

And  then  she  remembered  how  she  had  written  to 
him  about  what  this  very  denouement  would  be  when 
it  came.  How  strange,  how  wearily  strange,  it  was 
to  think  that  it  should  come  about  in  such  a  way  as 
this ! 

"My  nephew,"  said  Miss  MacDowlas.  "Griffith 
Donne." 

"Yes,"  said  Dolly,  briefly.  "I  was  engaged  to 
him." 

"  Was  ! "  echoed  Miss  MacDowlas.  "  Did  he  be 
have  badly  to  you,  my  dear  ? " 

"No,  I  behaved  badly  to  him  — and  that  is  why  I 
am  ill." 

Miss  MacDowlas  blew  her  nose. 

"  How  long  ? "  she  asked,  at  length.  "  May  I  ask 
how  long  you  were  engaged  to  each  other,  my  dear  ? 
Don't  answer  me  if  you  do  riot  wish." 

"  I  was  engaged  to  him,"  faltered  the  girlish  voice, 
— "  we  were  all  the  world  to  each  other  for  seven 
years  —  for  seven  long  years." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

IN  WHICH   WE   TRY   SWITZERLAND. 

IN"  the  morning  of  one  of  the  hot  days  in  June, 
Mollie,  standing  at  the  window  of  Phil's  studio, 
turned  suddenly  toward  the  inmates  of  the  room  with 
an  exclamation. 

"  Phil ! "  she  said,  "  'Toinette  !  There  is  a  carriage 
drawing  up  before  the  door." 

"Lady  Augusta?"  said  'Toinette,  making  a  dart  at 
Tod. 

"Confound  Lady  Augusta!"  ejaculated  Phil,  de 
voutly.  "That  woman  has  a  genius  for  presenting 
herself  at  inopportune  times." 

"  But  it  is  n't  Lady  Augusta,"  Mollie  objected.  "It 
is  n't  the  Bilberry  carriage  at  all.  Do  you  think  I 
don't  know  '  the  ark  '  ? " 

"  You  ought  to  by  this  time,"  returned  Phil.  "  I 
do,  to  my  own  deep  grief." 

"  It  is  the  Brabazon  Lodge  carriage !"  cried  Mollie, 
all  at  once.  "  Miss  MacDowlas  is  getting  out,  and 
—  yes,  here  is  Dolly  ! " 

"  And  Tod  just  washed  and  dressed ! "  said  Mrs. 
21 


322  VAGABONDIA. 

Phil,  picking  up  her  offspring  with  an  air  of  self- 
congratulation.  "Miracle  of  miracles  !  The  Fates  be 
gin  to  smile  upon  us.  Phil,  how  is  my  back  hair?" 

"  All  right,"  returned  Phil.  "  I  suppose  I  shall 
have  to  present  myself,  too/' 

It  was  necessary  that  they  should  all  present  them 
selves,  they  found.  Miss  MacDowlas  wished  to  form 
the  acquaintance  of  the  whole  family,  it  appeared, 
and  apart  from  this  her  visit  had  rather  an  important 
object. 

"It  is  a  sort  of  farewell  visit,"  she  explained, 
"  though,  of  course,  the  farewell  is  only  to  be  a  tem 
porary  one.  We  find  London  too  hot  for  us,  and  we 
are  going  to  try  Switzerland.  The  medical  man 
thinks  a  change  will  be  beneficial  to  your  sister." 

They  all  looked  at  Dolly  then,  —  at  Dolly  in  her 
delicate,  crisp  summer  bravery  and  her  pretty  summer 
hat ;  but  it  was  neither  hat  nor  dress  that  drew  their 
eyes  upon  her  all  at  once  in  that  new  questioning 
way.  But  Dolly  only  laughed,  —  a  soft,  nervous 
laugh,  however,  —  and  played  with  her  much-frilled 
parasol. 

"  Miss  MacDowlas,"  she  said,  "  is  good  enough  to 
fancy  I  am  not  so  well  as  I  ought  to  be,  Tod,"  bend 
ing  her  face  low  over  the  pretty  little  fellow,  who  had 
trotted  to  her  knee.  "  What  do  you  think  of  Aunt 
Dolly's  appearing  in  the  character  of  invalid  ?  It 
sounds  like  the  best  of  jokes,  does  n't  it,  Tod  ? " 


VAGABONDIA.  323 

They  tried  to  smile  responsively,  all  of  them,  but 
the  effort  was  not  a  success.  Despite  all  her  pretence 
of  brightness  and  coquettish  attire,  there  was  not  one 
of  them  who  had  not  been  startled  when"  their  first 
greeting  was  over.  Under  the  triumph  of  a  hat,  her 
face  showed  almost  sharply  cut,  her  skin  far  too 
transparently  colorless,  her  eyes  much  too  large  and 
bright.  The  elaborately  coiled  braids  of  hair  seemed 
almost  too  heavy  for  the  slender  throat  to  bear,  and 
no  profusion  of  trimming  could  hide  that  the  little 
figure  was  worn.  The  flush  and  glow  and  spirit  had 
died  away  from  her.  It  was  not  the  Dolly  who  had 
been  wont  to  pride  herself  upon  ruling  supreme  in 
Vagabondia,  who  sat  there  before  them  making  them 
wonder ;  it  was  a  new  creature,  who  seemed  quite  a 
stranger  to  them. 

They  were  glad  to  see  how  fond  of  her  Miss  Mac- 
Dowlas  appeared  to  be.  They  had  naturally  not  had 
a  very  excellent  opinion  of  Miss  MacDowlas  in  the 
past  days  ;  but  the  fact  that  Dolly  had  managed  to  so 
win  upon  her  as  to  bring  out  her  best  side,  quite  soft 
ened  their  hearts.  She  was  not  so  grim,  after  all. 
Her  antipathy  to  Grif  had  evidently  been  her  most 
unpleasant  peculiarity,  and  now,  seeing  her  care  for 
this  new  Dolly,  who  needed  care  so  much,  they  were 
rather  touched. 

When  the  farewells  had  been  said,  the  carriage  had 
driven  away,  and  they  had  returned  to  the  studio,  a 


324  VAGABOND1A. 

silence  seemed  to  fall  upon  them,  one  and  all.  'Toi- 
nette  sat  in  her  chair,  holding  Tod,  without  speaking  ; 
Mollie  stood  near  her  with  a  wondering,  downcast  air ; 
Phil  went  to  the  window,  and,  neglecting  his  picture 
wholly  for  the  time  being,  looked  out  into  the  street, 
whistling  softly. 

At  length  he  turned  round  to  Aimee. 

"  Aimee,"  he  said,  abruptly,  "  how  long  has  this 
been  going  on  ?  " 

"  You  mean  this  change  ? "  said  Aimee,  in  a  low 
voice. 

"  Yes." 

"  For  three  months,"  she  answered.  "  I  did  not 
like  to  tell  you  because  I  knew  she  would  not  like 
it ;  but  it  dates  from  the  time  Grif  went  away." 

Mrs.  Phil  burst  into  an  impetuous  gush  of  tears, 
hiding  her  handsome,  girlish  face  on  Tod's  neck. 

"  It  is  a  shame ! "  she  cried  out.  "  It  is  a  cruel, 
burning  shame !  Who  would  ever  have  thought  of 
Grif 's  treating  her  like  this  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Phil;  "  and  who  would  ever  have  thought 
that  Dolly  would  have  broken  down  ?  Dolly  !  By 
George  !  I  can't  believe  it.  If  I  am  able  to  judge, 
it  seems  time  that  she  should  try  Switzerland  or 
somewhere  else.  Aimee,  has  she  heard  nothing  of 
him?" 

"Nothing." 

The  young  man  flushed  hotly. 


VAGABONDIA.  325 

"  Confound  it ! "  he  burst  forth.  "  It  looks  as  if  the 
fellow  was  a  dishonorable  scamp.  And  yet  he  is  the 
last  man  I  should  ever  have  fancied  would  prove  a 
scamp." 

"  But  he  has  not  proved  himself  a  scamp  yet,"  said 
Aimee,  in  a  troubled  tone.  "  And  Dolly  would  not 
like  to  hear  you  say  so.  And  if  you  knew  the  whole 
truth  you  wouldn't  say  so.  He  has  been  tried  too 
far,  and  he  has  been  impetuous  and  rash,  but  it  was 
his  love  for  Dolly  that  made  him  so.  And  wherever 
he  may  be,  Phil,  I  know  he  is  as  wretched  and  hope 
less  as  Dolly  herself  could  be  at  the  worst.  It  has  all 
been  misunderstanding  and  mischance." 

"  He  has  broken  Dolly's  heart,  nevertheless,"  cried 
Mrs.  Phil.  "  And  if  she  dies  —  " 

"  Dies  ! "  cried  out  Mollie,  opening  her  great  eyes 
and  turning  pale  all  at  once.  "  Dies  !  Dolly  ? " 

"  Hush ! "  said  Aimee,  trembling  and  losing  color 
herself.  "  Oh,  hush  !  —  don't  say  such  things.  It 
sounds  so  dreadful,  —  it  is  too  dreadful  to  think  of ! " 


And  so  it  came  about  that  on  another  of  these  hot 
June  days  there  appeared  at  the  table  d'hote  of  a 
certain  well-conducted  and  already  well-filled  irin  at 
Lake  Geneva  two  new  arrivals,  —  a  tall,  thin,  elderly 
lady  of  excessively  English  exterior,  and  a  young  per 
son  who  attracted  some  attention,  —  a  girl  who  wore 


326  VAGABONDIA. 

a  long  black  dress,  and  had  a  picturesque  Elizabethan 
frill  about  her  too  slender  throat,  and  who,  in  spite  of 
her  manner  and  the  clearness  of  her  bright  voice,  was 
too  whitely  transparent  of  complexion  and  too  finely 
cut  of  face  to  look  as  strong  as  a  girl  of  one  or  two 
and  twenty  ought  to  be. 

The  people  who  took  stock  of  them,  after  the  manner 
of  all  unoccupied  hotel  sojourners  on  the  lookout  for 
sensations,  noticed  this.  One  or  two  of  them  even 
observed  that,  on  entering  the  room  after  the  slight 
exertion  of  descending  the  staircase,  the  girl  was 
slightly  out  of  breath  and  seemed  glad  to  sit  down, 
and  that,  her  companion  evidently  making  some  re 
mark  upon  the  fact,  she  half  laughed,  as  if  wishing  to 
make  light  of  it ;  and  they  noticed,  too,  that  her  natu 
rally  small  hands  were  so  very  slender  that  her  one 
simple  little  ring  of  amethyst  and  pearls  slipped 
loosely  up  and  down  her  finger. 

They  were  not  ordinary  tourists,  these  new  arrivals, 
it  was  clear.  Their  attire  told  that  at  once.  They 
had  removed  their  travelling  dresses,  and  looked  as  if 
they  had  quite  made  up  their  minds  to  enjoy  their 
customary  mode  of  life  as  if  they  had  been  at  home. 
They  had  no  courier,  the  wiseacres  had  ascertained, 
and  they  had  brought  a  neat  English  serving-woman, 
who  seemed  to  know  her  business  marvellously  well 
and  be  by  no  means  unaccustomed  to  travelling. 

"  Aunt  and  niece  ! "  commented  one  gentleman,  sur- 


VAGABONDIA.  327 

veying  Dolly  over  his  soup.  "  A  nice  little  creature,  — . 
the  niece."  And  he  mentally  resolved  to  cultivate 
her  acquaintance.  But  it  was  not  such  an  easy  mat 
ter.  The  new  arrivals  were  unlike  ordinary  tourists 
in  other  respects  than  in  their  settled  mode  of  life. 
They  did  not  seem  to  care  to  form  chance  acquaint 
ance  with  their  fellow  guests.  They  lived  quietly 
and,  unless  when  driving  out  together  or  taking  short, 
unfatiguing  strolls,  remained  much  in  their  own  apart 
ments..  They  appeared  at  the  table  d'hote  occasion 
ally  ;  but  though  they  were  pleasant  in  manner  they 
were  not  communicative,  and  so,  after  a  week  or  so, 
people  tired  of  asking  questions  about  them,  and 
lapsed  into  merely  exchanging  greetings,  and  looking 
on  with  some  interest  at  any  changes  they  observed  in 
the  pretty,  transparent,  though  always  bright  face,  and 
the  pliant,  soft  young  figure. 

Thus  Miss  MacDowlas  and  her  companion  "  tried 
Switzerland." 

"  It  will  do  you  good,  my  dear,  and  brace  you  up," 
the  elder  lady  had  said ;  and  from  the  bottom  of  her 
heart  she  had  hoped  it  would. 

And  did  it  ? 

Well,  the  last  time  Dolly  had  "  tried  Switzerland," 
she  had  tried  it  in  the  capacity  of  Lady  Augusta's 
governess,  and  she  had  held  in  charge  a  host  of  ram 
pant  young  Bilberrys,  who  secretly  loathed  their  daily 
duties,  and  were  not  remarkable  in  the  matter  of  filial 


328  VAGABONDIA. 

piety,  and  were  only  reconciled  to  existence  by  the 
presence  of  their  maternal  parent's  greatest  trial,  that 
highly  objectionable  Dorothea  Crewe.  So,  taking 
Lady  Augusta  in  conjunction  with  her  young  charges, 
the  girl  had  often  felt  her  lot  by  no  means  the  easiest 
in  the  world ;  but  youth  and  spirit,  and  those  oft- 
arriving  letters,  had  helped  her  to  bear  a  great  deal, 
and  so  there  was  still  something  sweet  about  the 
memory.  Oh,  those  old  letters  —  those  foolish,  pas 
sionate,  tender  letters  —  written  in  the  dusty,  hot 
London  office,  read  with  such  happiness,  and  an 
swered  on  such  closely  penned  sheets  of  foreign 
paper !  How  she  had  used  to  watch  for  them,  and 
carry  them  to  her  small  bedroom  and  read  them  again 
and  again,  kneeling  on  the  floor  by  the  open  window, 
the  fresh,  soft  summer  breezes  from  the  blue  lake 
far  below  stirring  her  hair  and  kissing  her  fore 
head  !  How  doubly  and  trebly  fair  she  had  been 
wont  to  fancy  everything  looked  on  that  "  letter  day  " 
of  hers,  —  that  red-letter  day,  —  that  golden-letter 
day! 

The  very  letters  she  had  written  then  lay  in  her 
trunk  now,  tied  together  in  a  bundle,  just  as  Grif  had 
brought  them  and  laid  them  down  upon  the  table 
when  he  gave  her  up  forever.  Her  "  dead  letter " 
lay  with  them,  —  that  last,  last  appeal,  whicli  had 
never  reached  his  heart,  and  never  would.  She  had 
written  her  last  letter  to  him,  and  he  his  last  to  her. 


VAGABONDIA.  329 

And  now  she  had  been  brought  to  "  try  Switzerland  " 
and  Lake  Geneva  as  a  Lethe. 

But  she  had  determined  to  be  practical  and  coura 
geous,  and  bear  it  as  best  she  might.  It  would  not 
have  been  like  her  to  give  way  at  once  without  a 
straggle.  She  did  not  believe  in  lovelorn  damsels, 
who  pined  away  and  died  of  broken  hearts,  and  made 
all  their  friends  uncomfortable  by  so  doing.  She  made 
a  struggle,  and  refused  to  give  up.  She  grew  shad 
owy  and  fair ;  but  it  was  under  protest,  and  she  battled 
against  the  change  she  felt  creeping  upon  her  so  slowly 
but  so  surely.  She  showed  a  brave  face  to  people,  and 
tried  to  be  as  bright  and  ready-witted  as  ever ;  and  if 
she  failed  it  was  not  her  own  fault.  She  fought  hard 
against  her  sleepless  nights  and  weary  days ;  and 
when  she  lay  awake  hour  after  hour  hearing  the 
clock  strike,  it  was  not  because  she  made  no  effort 
to  compose  herself,  it  was  only  because  the  delicate 
wheels  of  thought  would  work  against  her  helpless 
will,  and  it  was  worse  than  useless  to  close  her  eyes 
when  she  could  see  so  plainly  her  lost  lover's  desper 
ate,  anguished  face,  and  hear  so  distinctly  his  strained, 
strangely  altered  voice  :  "  No,  it  is  too  late  for  that 
now,  —  that  is  all  over  !  "  And  he  had  once  loved 
her  better  than  his  life ! 

So  it  was  that,  try  as  she  might,  she  could  not 
make  Switzerland  a  success.  When  she  went  down 
to  the  table  d'hote,  people  saw  that  instead  of  growing 


330  VAGABOND1A. 

stronger  she  was  growing  more  frail,  and  the  exertion 
of  coming  down  the  long  flight  of  stairs  tried  her  more 
than  it  had  seemed  to  do  that  first  day.  Sometimes 
she  had  a  soft,  lovely,  dangerous  color  on  her  cheeks, 
and  her  eyes  looked  almost  translucent ;  and  then 
again  the  color  was  gone,  her  skin  was  white  and 
transparent,  and  her  eyes  were  shadowy  and  languid. 
When  the  hot  July  days  came  in,  the  ring  of  pearls 
and  amethyst  would  stay  on  the  small  worn  hand  no 
longer,  and  so  was  taken  off  and  hung  with  the  little 
bunch  of  coquettish  "  charms  "  upon  her  chain.  But 
she  was  not  conquered  yet,  and  the  guests  and  ser 
vants  often  heard  her  laughing,  and  making  Miss 
MacDowlas  laugh  as  they  sat  together  in  their  pri 
vate  parlor. 

The  two  were  sitting  thus  together  one  Saturday 
early  in  July,  —  Dolly  in  a  loose  white  wrapper,  rest 
ing  in  a  low  basket  chair  by  the  open  window,  and 
fanning  herself  languidly,  —  when  a  visitor  was  an 
nounced,  and  the  moment  after  the  announcement  a 
tall  young  lady  rushed  into  the  room  and  clasped 
Dolly  unceremoniously  in  her  arms,  either  not 
observing  or  totally  ignoring  Miss  MacDowlas's 
presence. 

"  Dolly ! "  she  cried,  kneeling  down  by  the  basket 
chair  and  speaking  so  fast  that  her  words  tumbled 
over  each  other,  and  her  sentences  were  curiously 
mingled.  "Oh  !  if  you  please,  dear,  I  know  it  was  n't 


VAGABONDIA.  331 

polite,  and  I  never  meant  to  do  it  in  such  an  unex 
pected,  awfully  rude  way ;  and  what  mamma  would 
say,  I  am  sure  I  cannot  tell,  unless  go  into  dignified 
convulsions,  and  shudder  herself  stiff;  but  how  could 
I  help  it,  when  I  came  expecting  to  see  you  as  bright 
and  lovely  as  ever,  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  you 
through  the  door,  as  the  servant  spoke,  sitting  here  so 
white  and  thin  and  tired-looking  !  Oh,  dear  !  oh,  dear ! 
how  ever  can  it  be !  " 

"  My  dear  Phemie  !  "  said  Dolly,  laughing  and  cry 
ing  both  at  once,  through  weakness  and  sympathy,  — 
for  of  course  poor,  easily  moved  Phemie  had  burst 
into  a  flood  of  affectionate  tears.  "My  dear  child, 
how  excited  you  are,  and  how  pleasant  it  is  to  see 
you  !  How  did  you  manage  to  come  ?  " 

"  The  professor  with  the  lumpy  face  —  poor,  pale 
darling  —  I  mean  you,  not  him,"  explained  the  eldest 
Miss  Bilberry,  clinging  to  her  ex-governess  as  if  she 
was  afraid  of  seeing  her  float  through  the  open  win 
dow.  "  The  professor  with  the  lumpy  face,  Dolly ; 
which  shows  he  is  not  so  horrid  as  I  always  thought 
him,  and  I  am  very  sorry  for  being  so  inconsiderate, 
I  am  sure  —  you  know  he  cannot  help  his  lumps  any 
more  than  I  can  help  my  dreadful  red  hands  and  my 
dresses  not  fitting." 

Dolly  stopped  her  here  to  introduce  her  to  Miss 
MacDowlas ;  and  that  lady  having  welcomed  her 
good-naturedly,  and  received  her  incoherent  apologies 


332  VAGABONDIA. 

for  her  impetuous  lack  of  decorum,  the  explanation 
proceeded. 

"  How  could  the  professor  send  you  here  ?  "  asked 
Dolly. 

"  He  did  not  exactly  send  me,  but  he  helped  me," 
replied  the  luckless  Euphemia,  becoming  a  trifle  more 
coherent.  "  I  saw  you  at  the  little  church,  though 
you  did  not  see  me,  because,  of  course,  we  sit  in  the 
most  disagreeable  part,  just  where  we  can't  see  or  be 
seen  at  all.  And  though  I  only  saw  you  at  a  dis 
tance,  and  through  your  veil,  and  half  behind  a  pillar, 
I  knew  you,  and  knew  Miss  MacDowlas.  I  think  I 
knew  Miss  MacDowlas  most  because  she  was  n't  be 
hind  the  pillar.  And  it  nearly  drove  me  crazy  to 
think  you  were  so  near,  and  I  gave  one  of  the  ser 
vants  some  money  to  find  out  where  you  were  staying, 
and  she  brought  me  word  that  you  were  staying  here, 
and  meant  to  stay.  And  then  I  asked  the  lady  prin 
cipal  to  let  me  come  and  see  you,  and  of  course  she 
refused ;  and  I  never  should  have  been  able  to  come 
at  all,  only  it  chanced  that  was  my  music-lesson  clay, 
and  I  went  in  to  the  professor  with  red  eyes,  —  I  had 
cried  so,  —  and  when  he  asked  me  what  I  had  been 
crying  for,  I  remembered  that  he  used  to  be  fond  of 
you,  and  I  told  him.  And  he  was  sorry  for  me,  and 
promised  to  ask  leave  for  me.  He  is  a  cousin  of  the 
lady  principal,  and  a  great  favorite  with  her.  And 
the  end  of  it  was  that  they  let  me  come.  And  I  have 


VAGABONDIA.  333 

almost  flown.  I  had  to  wait  until  to-day,  you  know, 
because  it  was  Saturday." 

It  was  quite  touching  to  see  how,  when  she  stopped 
speaking,  she  clung  to  Dolly's  hands,  and  looked  at 
her  with  wonder  and  grief  in  her  face. 

"  What  is  it  that  has  changed  you  so  ? "  she  said. 
"  You  are  not  like  yourself  at  all.  Oh,  my  dear,  how 
ill  you  are  ! " 

A  wistful  shadow  showed  itself  in  the  girl's  eyes. 

"  Am  I  so  much  changed  ? "  she  asked. 

"  You  do  not  look  like  our  Dolly  at  all,"  protested 
Phemie.  "  You  are  thin,  —  oh,  so  thin  !  What  is  the 
matter  ? " 

"  Thin  ! "  said  Dolly.  ''•  Am  I  ?  Then  I  must  be 
growing  ugly  enough.  Perhaps  it  is  to  punish  me 
for  being  so  vain  about  my  figure.  Don't  you 
remember  what  a  dread  I  always  had  of  growing 
thin  ?  Just  to  think  that  /  should  grow  thin,  after 
all !  Do  my  bones  stick  out  like  the  Honorable 
Cecilia  Howland's,  Phemie  ? "  And  she  ended  with 
a  little  laugh. 

Phemie  kissed  her,  in  affectionate  protest  against 
such  an  idea. 

"Oh,  dear,  no  !  "  she  said.  "  They  could  n't,  you 
know.  They  are  not  the  kind  of  bones  to  do  it. 
Just  think  of  her  dreadful  elbows  and  her  fearful 
shoulder-blades !  You  could  n't  look  like  her.  I 
don't  mean  that  sort  of  thinness  at  all.  But  you 


334  VAGABONDIA. 

seem  so  light  and  so  little.  And  look  here,"  and  she 
held  up  the  painfully  small  hand,  the  poor  little  hand 
without  the  ring.  "  There  are  no  dimples  here  now, 
Dolly,"  she  said,  sorrowfully. 

"  No,"  answered  Dolly,  simply ;  and  the  next 
minute,  as  she  drew  her  hand  away,  there  fluttered 
from  her  lips  a  sigh. 

She  managed  to  change  the  turn  of  conversation 
after  this.  Miss  MacDowlas  had  good-naturedly  left 
them  alone,  and  so  she  began  to  ask  Phemie  questions, 
—  questions  about  school  and  lessons  and  companions, 
about  the  lady  principal  and  the  under-teachers  and 
about  the  professor  with  the  lumpy  face ;  and,  despite 
appearances  being  against  her,  there  was  still  the  old 
ring  in  her  girl's  jests. 

"  Has  madame  got  a  new  bonnet  yet,"  she  asked, 
"  or  does  she  still  wear  the  old  one  with  those  aggres 
sive-looking  spikes  of  wheat  in  it  ?  The  lean  ears 
ought  to  have  eaten  up  the  fat  ones  by  this  time." 

"  But  they  have  n't,"  returned  Phemie.  "  They  are 
there  yet,  Dolly.  Just  the  same  spikes  in  the  same 
bonnet,  only  she  has  had  new  saffron-colored  ribbon 
put  on  it,  just  the  shade  of  her  skin." 

Dolly  shuddered, — Lady  Augusta's  own  semi-tragic 
shudder,  if  Phemie  had  only  recognized  it. 

"  Phemie,"  she  said,  with  a  touch  of  pardonable 
anxiety,  "  ill  as  I  look,  I  am  not  that  color,  am  I  ? 
To  lose  one's  figure  and  grow  thin  is  bad  enough,  but 


VAGABONDIA.  335 

to  become  like  Madame  Fillet  —  dear  me  !"  shaking 
her  head.  "  I  scarcely  think  I  could  reconcile  my 
self  to  existence." 

Phemie  laughed.  "You  are  not  changed  in  one 
respect,  Dolly/'  she  said.  "When  I  hear  you  talk 
it  makes  me  feel  quite  —  quite  safe." 

"  Safe  ! "  Dolly  echoed.  "  You  mean  to  say  that  so 
long  as  I  preserve  my  constitutional  vanity,  your  anx 
iety  won't  overpower  you.  But  —  but,"  looking  at 
her  curiously,  "  did  you  think  at  first  that  I  was  not 
safe,  as  you  call  it  ?  " 

"  You  looked  so  ill,"  faltered  Phemie.  "And  —  I 
was  so  startled." 

"  Were  you  ? "  asked  Dolly.     "  Did  I  shock  you  ? " 

"  A  little  —  only  just  a  little,  dear/'  deprecatingly. 

Then  strangely  enough  fell  upon  them  a  silence. 
Dolly  turned  toward  the  window,  and  her  eyes  seemed 
to  fix  themselves  upon  some  far-away  point,  as  if  she 
was  pondering  over  a  new  train  of  thought.  And 
when  at  last  she  spoke,  her  voice  was  touched  with 
the  tremulous  unsteadiness  of  tears. 

"  Do  you  think,"  she  said,  slowly,  —  "  do  you  think 
that  any  one  who  had  loved  me  would  be  shocked  to 
see  me  now  ?  Am  I  so  much  altered  as  that  ?  One 
scarcely  sees  these  things  one's  self,  —  they  come  to 
pass  so  gradually." 

All  poor  Phemie's  smiles  died  away. 

"  Don't  let  us  talk  about  it,"  she  pleaded.     "  I  can- 


336  VAGABONDIA. 

not  bear  to  hear  you  speak  so.  Don't,  dear  —  if  you 
please,  don't ! " 

Her  pain  was  so  evident  that  it  roused  Dolly  at 
once. 

"  I  won't,  if  it  troubles  you,"  she  said,  almost  in 
her  natural  manner.  "  It  does  not  matter,  —  why 
should  it  ?  There  is  no  one  here  to  be  shocked.  I 
was  only  wondering." 

But  the  shadow  did  not  quite  leave  her  face,  and 
even  when,  an  hour  later,  Euphemia  bade  her  good-by 
and  left  her,  promising  to  return  again  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  it  was  there  still. 

She  was  very,  very  quiet  for  a  few  minutes  after 
she  found  herself  alone.  She  clasped  her  hands 
behind  her  head,  and  lay  back  in  the  light  chair, 
looking  out  of  the  window.  She  was  thinking  so 
deeply  that  she  did  not  even  stir  for  a  while ;  but  in 
the  end  she  got  up,  as  though  moved  by  some  im 
pulse,  and  crossed  the  room. 

Against  the  wall'  hung  a  long,  narrow  mirror,  and 
she  went  to  this  mirror  and  stood  before  it,  looking 
at  herself  from  head  to  foot,  —  at  her  piteously 
sharpened  face,  with  its  large,  wondering  eyes,  eyes 
that  wondered  at  themselves, —  at  the  small,  light  fig 
ure  so  painfully  etherealized,  and  about  which  the 
white  wrapper  hung  so  loosely.  She  even  held  up, 
at  last,  the  slender  hand  and  arm ;  but  when  she  saw 
these  uplifted,  appealing,  as  it  were,  for  this  sad,  new 


VAGABONDIA.  337 

face  which  did  not  seem  her  own,  she  broke  into  a 
little  cry  of  pain  and  grief. 

"If  you  could  see  me  now,"  she  said,  "if  you  should 
come  here  by  chance  and  see  me  now,  my  dear,  I 
think  you  would  not  wait  to  ask  whether  I  had  been 
true  or  false.  I  never  laid  this  white  cheek  on  your 
shoulder,  did  I  ?  Oh,  what  a  changed  face  it  is  !  I 
know  I  was  never  very  pretty,  though  you  thought 
so  and  were  proud  of  me  in  your  tender  way,  but  I 
was  not  like  this  in  those  dear  old  days.  Grif,  Grif, 
would  you  know  me,  —  would  you  know  me  ? "  And, 
turning  to  her  chair  again,  she  dropped  upon  her 
knees  before  it,  and  knelt  there  sobbing. 


CHAPTEK   XVI. 

IF   YOU   SHOULD    DIE. 

postman  paid  frequent  visits  to  Bloomsbury 
Place  during  these  summer  weeks.  At  first 
Dolly  wrote  often  herself,  but  later  it  seemed  to  fall 
to  Miss  MacDowlas  to  answer  Aimee's  weekly  let 
ters  and  Mollie's  fortnightly  ones.  And  that  lady 
was  a  faithful  correspondent,  and  did  her  duty  as 
readily  as  was  possible,  giving  all  the  news,  and 
recording  all  Dolly's  messages,  and  issuing  regular 
bulletins  on  the  subject  of  her  health.  "  Your  sister," 
she  sometimes  wrote,  "  is  not  so  well,  and  I  have 
persuaded  her  to  allow  me  to  be  her  amanuensis." 
Or,  "Your  sister  is  tired  after  a  rather  long  drive, 
and  I  have  persuaded  her  to  rest  while  I  write  at  her 
dictation."  Or  sometimes,  "  Dolly  is  rather  stronger, 
and  is  in  excellent  spirits,  but  I  do  not  wish  her  to 
exert  herself  at  present."  But  at  length  a  new 
element  crept  into  these  letters.  The  cheerful  tone 
gave  way  to  a  more  dubious  one  ;  Dolly's  whimsical 
messages  were  fewer  and  farther  between,  and  some 
times  Miss  MacDowlas  seemed  to  be  on  the  verge  of 


VAGADONDIA.  339 

hinting  that  her  condition  was  a  weaker  and  more 
precarious  one  than  even  she  herself  had  at  first 
feared. 

Ealph  Gowan,  on  making  his  friendly  calls,  and 
hearing  this,  was  both  anxious  and  puzzled.  In  a 
very  short  time  after  his  return  he  had  awakened  to 
a  recognition  of  some  mysterious  shadow  upon  the 
household.  Vagabondia  had  lost  its  spirits.  Mrs. 
Phil  and  her  husband  were  almost  thoughtful ;  Tod 
disported  himself  unregarded  and  unad  mired,  com 
paratively  speaking ;  Mollie  seemed  half  frightened 
by  the  aspect  affairs  were  wearing;  and  Aimee's 
wise,  round  face  had  an  older  look.  And  then  these 
letters  !  Dolly  "  trying  Switzerland  "  for  her  health, 
Dolly  mysteriously  ill  and  far  away  from  home,  — 
too  weak  sometimes  to  write.  Dolly,  who  had  never 
seemed  to  have  a  weakness ;  who  had  entered  the 
lists  against  even  Lady  Augusta,  and  had  come  off 
victorious ;  who  had  been  mock- worldly,  and  coquet 
tish,  and  daring ;  who  had  made  open  onslaught 
upon  eligible  Philistines ;  who  had  angled  prettily 
and  with  sinful  success  for  ineligible  Bohemians ! 
What  did  it  mean  ?  And  where  was  Donne  ?  Cer 
tainly  he  was  never  to  be  seen  at  Bloomsbury  Place 
or  in  its  vicinity  in  these  days. 

But,  deeply  interested  as  he  was,  Go  wan  was  not 
the  man  to  ask  questions;  so  he  could  only  wait 
until  clrmce  brought  the  truth  to  light. 


340  VAGABONDIA. 

He  came  to  the  house  upon  one  occasion  and 
found  Aimee  crying  quietly  over  one  of  Miss 
MacDowlas's  letters  in  the  parlor,  and  in  his  sym 
pathy  he  felt  compelled  to  speak  openly  to  her. 

Then  Aimee,  heavy  of  heart  and  full  of  despairing 
grief,  handed  him  the  letter  to  read. 

"  /  have  known  it  would  be  so  —  from  the  first/' 
she  sobbed.  "  We  are  going  to  lose  her.  Perhaps 
she  will  not  live  to  come  home  again." 

"  You  mean  Dolly  ? "  he  said. 

"Yes,"  hysterically.  "Miss  MacDowlas  says — " 
But  she  could  get  no  further. 

This  was  what  Miss  MacDowlas  said :  — 

"  I  cannot  think  it  would  be  right  to  hide  from 
you  that  your  sister  is  very  ill,  though  she  does  not 
complain,  and  persists  in  treating  her  increasing 
weakness  lightly.  Indeed,  I  am  sure  that  she  herself 
does  not  comprehend  her  danger.  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  that  it  has  not  yet  occurred  to  her  that  she  is 
in  danger  at  all.  She  protests  that  she  cannot  be  ill 
so  long  as  she  does  not  suffer ;  but  I,  who  have 
watched  her  day  by  day,  can  see  only  too  plainly 
where  the  danger  lies.  And  so  I  think  it  best  to 
warn  you  to  be  prepared  to  come  to  us  at  once  if  at 
any  time  I  should  send  for  you  hurriedly." 

"  Prepared  to  go  to  them ! "  commented  Aimee. 
-''  What  does  that  mean  ?  What  can  it  mean  but 
that  our  own  Dolly  is  dying,  and  may  slip  out  of  the 


VAGABONDIA.  341 

world  away  from  us  at  any  moment?  Oh,  Grif! 
Grif !  what  have  you  done  ? " 

Gowan  closed  the  letter. 

"  Miss  Aimee,"  he  said,  "  where  is  Donne  ? " 

Aimee  fairly  wrung  her  hands. 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  quite  wailed.  "  If  I  only  did 
—  if  I  only  knew  where  I  could  find  him  ! " 

"  You  don't  know !  "  exclaimed  Gowan.  "  And 
Dolly  dying  in  Switzerland!" 

"  That  is  it,"  she  returned.  "  That  is  what  it  all 
means.  If  any  of  us  knew  • —  or  if  Dolly  knew,  she 
would  not  be  dying  in  Switzerland.  It  is  because 
she  does  not  know,  that  she  is  dying.  She  has  never 
seen  him  since  the  night  you  brought  Mollie  home. 
And  —  and  she  cannot  live  without  him." 

The  whole  story  was  told  in  very  few  words  after 
this ;  and  Gowan,  listening,  began  to  understand  what 
the  cloud  upon  the  house  had  meant.  He  suffered 
some  sharp  enough  pangs  through  the  discovery,  too. 
The  last  frail  cords  that  had  bound  him  to  hope 
snapped  as  Aimee  poured  out  her  sorrows.  He  had 
never  been  very  sanguine  of  success,  but  even  after 
hoping  against  hope,  his  tender  fancy  for  Dolly 
Crewe  had  died  a  very  lingering  death ;  indeed,  it 
was  not  quite  dead  yet,  but  he  was  beginning  to  com 
prehend  this  old  love  story  more  fully,  and  he  had 
found  himself  forced  to  do  his  rival  greater  justice. 
He  could  not  see  his  virtues  as  the  rest  saw  them, 


342  VAGABONDIA. 

of  course,  but  he  was  generous  enough  to  pity  him, 
and  see  that  his  lot  had  been  a  terribly  hard  one. 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  to  be  done/'  he  said, 
when  Aiinee  had  finished  speaking.  "  We  must  find 
him." 

"  Find  him  !     We  cannot  find  him." 

' '  That  remains  to  be  proved,"  he  answered.  "  Have 
you  been  to  his  lodgings?" 

"  Yes/'  mournfully.  "  And  even  to  the  office ! 
He  left  his  lodgings  that  very  night,  paid  his  bills,  and 
drove  away  in  a  cab  with  his  trunk.  Poor  Grif !  It 
was  n't  a  very  big  trunk.  He  went  to  the  office  the 
next  morning,  and  told  Mr.  Flynn  he  was  going  to 
leave  London,  and  one  of  the  clerks  told  Phil  there 
was  a  '  row '  between  them.  Mr.  Flynn  was  angry 
because  he  had  not  given  due  notice  of  his  intention. 
That  is  all  we  know." 

"And  you  have  not  the  slightest  clew  beyond 
this  ? " 

"Not  the  slightest.  He  spent  all  his  spare  time 
with  Dolly,  you  know;  so  there  is  not  even  any 
place  of  resort,  or  club,  or  anything,  where  we  might 
go  to  make  inquiries  about  him." 

Gowan's  countenance  fell.  He  felt  the  girl's  dis 
tress  keenly,  apart  from  his  own  pain. 

"  The  whole  affair  seems  very  much  against  us/'  he 
said  ;  "  but  he  may  —  I  say  he  may  be  in  London 
still.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  he  is  myself.  When 


VAGABOND1A.  343 

the  first  passion  of  excitement  was  over,  he  would 
iind  himself  weaker  than  he  fancied  he  was.  It 
would  not  be  so  easy  to  cut  himself  off  from  the  old 
life  altogether.  He  would  long  so  inexpressibly  to 
see  Dolly  again  that  he  could  not  tear  himself  away. 
I  think  we  may  be  assured  that  even  if  he  is  not  in 
London,  at  least  he  has  not  left  England." 

"  That  was  what  I  have  been  afraid  of,"  said  Aimee, 
"  that  he  might  have  left  England  altogether." 

"  I  cannot  think  he  has/'  Gowan  returned. 

They  were  both  silent  for  a  moment.  Aimee  sat 
twisting  Miss  MacDowlas's  letter  in  her  fingers,  fresh 
tears  gathering  in  her  eyes. 

"  It  is  all  the  harder  to  bear,"  she  said  next,  "  be 
cause  Dolly  has  always  seemed  so  much  of  a  reality 
to  us.  If  she  had  been  a  pale,  ethereal  sort  of  girl, 
it  might  not  seem  such  a  shock  ;  but  she  never  was. 
She  even  used  to  say  she  could  not  bear  those  frail, 
ethereal  people  in  books,  who  were  always  dying  and 
saying  touching  things  just  at  the  proper  time,  and 
who  knew  exactly  when  to  call  up  their  agonized 
friends  to  their  bedside  to  see  how  pathetically  and 
decorously  they  made  their  exit.  Oh,  my  poor  dar 
ling  !  To  think  that  she  should  be  fading  away  and 
dying  just  in  the  same  way  !  I  cannot  make  it  seem 
real.  I  cannot  think  of  her  without  her  color,  and  her 
jokes,  and  her  bits  of  acting,  and  her  little  vanities. 
She  will  not  be  our  Dolly  at  all  if  they  have  left  her. 


344  VAGABONDIA. 

There  is  a  dress  of  hers  up-stairs  now,  —  a  dress  she 
couldn't  bear.  And  I  remember  so  well  how  she 
lost  her  temper  when  she  was  making  it,  because  it 
would  n't  fit.  And  when  I  went  into  the  parlor  she 
was  crying  over  it,  and  Grif  was  trying  so  hard  to 
console  her  that  at  last  she  laughed.  I  can  see  her 
now,  with  the  tears  in  her  eyes,  looking  half-vexed 
and  half-comforted.  And  Tod,  too,  —  how  fond  she 
was  of  Tod,  and  how  proud  of  him !  Ah,  Tod,"  in  a 
fresh  burst,  "  when  you  grow  up,  the  daisies  may  have 
been  growing  for  many  a  year  over  poor  little  Aunt 
Dolly,  and  you  will  have  forgotten  her  quite." 

"  You  must  not  look  at  the  matter  in  that  despond 
ing  way,"  said  Go  wan,  quite  unsteadily.  "  We  must 
hope  for  the  best,  and  do  what  we  can.  You  may 
rely  upon  me  to  exert  myself  to  the  utmost.  If  we 
succeed  in  finding  Donne  I  am  sure  that  he  will  do 
the  rest.  Perhaps,  next  summer  Yagabondia  will  be 
as  bright  as  ever,  —  nay,  even  brighter  than  it  has 
been  before." 

All  his  sympathies  were  enlisted,  and,  hopeless  as 
the  task  seemed,  he  had  determined  to  make  strenu 
ous  efforts  to  trace  this  lost  lover.  Men  had  con 
cealed  themselves  from  their  friends,  in  the  world  of 
London,  often  before,  and  this,  he  felt  sure,  Griffith 
Donne  was  doing ;  and  since  this  poor  little  impas 
sioned,  much-tried  Dolly  was  dying  in  spite  of  herself 
for  Griffith  Donne's  sake,  and  seemed  only  to  be  saved 


VAGABONDIA.  345 

by  his  presence,  be  must  even  set  himself  the  task  of 
bringing  him  to  light  and  clearing  up  this  miserable 
misunderstanding.  Having  been  Dolly  Crewe's  lover, 
he  was  still  generous  enough  to  wish  to  prove  himself 
her  friend;  yes,  and  even  her  luckier  lover's  friend, 
though  he  winced  a  trifle  at  the  thought.  Accord 
ingly,  he  left  the  house  that  night  with  his  mind  full 
of  half-formed  plans,  both  feasible  and  otherwise. 

During  the  remainder  of  that  week  he  did  not  call 
at  Bloomsbury  Place  again,  but  at  the  beginning  of 
the  next  he  made  his  appearance,  bringing  with  him 
a  piece  of  news  which  excited  Aimee  terribly. 

"  I  know  I  shall  startle  you,"  he  said,  the  moment 
they  were  alone  together,  "  but  you  can  scarcely  be 
more  startled  than  I  was  myself.  I  have  been  on  the 
lookout  constantly,  but  I  did  not  expect  to  be  re 
warded  by  success  so  soon.  Indeed,  as  it  is,  it  has 
been  entirely  a  matter  of  chance.  It  is  as  I  felt  sure 
it  would  be.  Donne  is  in  London  still.  I  know  that 
much,  though  that  is  all  I  have  learned  as  yet.  Late 
last  night  I  caught  a  glimpse  —  only  a  glimpse  —  of 
him  hurrying  through  a  by-street.  I  almost  fancied 
he  had  seen  rne  and  was  determined  to  get  out  of  the 
way." 


"The  pretty  English  girl,"  said  the  guests  at  the 
inn,  "  comes  down  no  longer  to  the  table  d'hote." 
-  The  pretty  English  girl,"  remarked  the  wiseacres, 


346  VAGABONDIA. 

"  does  not  even  drive  out  on  these  days,  and  the 
doctor  calls  every  morning  to  see  her." 

"  And  sometimes/'  added  one  of  the  wisest,  "  again 
in  the  evening.'1 

"  Consumption,"  observed  another. 

"Plainly  consumption,"  nodding  significantly. 
"  These  English  frauleins  are  so  often  consumptive," 
commented  a  third.  "It  is  astonishing  to  remark 
how  many  come  to  '  try  Switzerland,'  as  they  say." 

"And  die?" 

"  And  die,  —  as  this  one  will." 

"  Poor  little  thing ! "  with  a  sigh  and  a  pitying 
shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

And  in  the  meantime  up-stairs  the  basket  chair 
had  been  taken  away  from  the  window,  and  a  large- 
cushioned,  chintz-covered  couch  had  been  pushed 
into  its  place,  and  Dolly  lay  upon  it.  But  luxurious 
as  her  couch  was,  and  balmy  as  the  air  was,  corning 
through  the  widely  opened  window,  she  did  not  find 
much  rest.  The  fact  was,  she  was  past  rest  by  this 
time,  she  was  too  weak  to  rest.  The  hot  days  tried 
her,  and  her  sleepless  nights  undermined  even  her 
last  feeble  relic  of  strength.  Sometimes  during  the 
day  she  felt  that  she  could  not  lie  propped  up  on  the 
pillows  a  moment  longer;  but  when  she  tried  to  stand 
or  sit  up  she  was  glad  to  drop  back  again  into  the  old 
place.  She  lost  her  breath  fearfully  soon,  —  the  least 
exertion  left  her  panting. 


VAGABONDIA.  347 

"  If  I  had  a  cough,"  she  said  once  to  Miss  Mac- 
Dowlas,  "  I  could  understand  that  I  was  ill  —  or  if  I 
suffered  any  actual  pain,  but  I  don't,  and  even  the 
doctor  admits  that  my  lungs  are  safe  enough.  What 
is  it  that  he  says  about  me  ?  Let  me  see.  Ah,  this  is 
it :  that  I  am  '  below  par  —  fearfully  below  par,'  as  if 
I  was  gold,  or  notes,  or  bonds,  or  something.  My 
ideas  on  the  subject  of  the  money  market  are  indefi 
nite,  you  see.  Ah,  well ;  I  wonder  when  I  shall  be 
' above  par ' I " 

She  never  spoke  of  her  ailments  in  any  other  strain. 
Even  as  she  lay  on  her  couch,  too  prostrate  to  either 
read  or  work,  she  made  audacious  satirical  speeches, 
and  told  Miss  MacDowlas  stories  of  Vagabondia,  just 
as  she  used  to  tell  them  to  Grif  himself,  only  that  in 
these  days  she  could  not  get  up  to  flourish  illustra 
tively  ;  and  often  after  lying  for  an  hour  or  so  in  a 
dead,  heavy,  exhausting  day-sleep,  she  opened  her 
eyes  at  last,  to  jest  about  her  faithful  discharge  of  her 
duties  as  companion.  Only  she  herself  knew  of  the 
fierce  battles  she  so  often  fought  in  secret,  when  her 
sore,  aching  heart  cried  out  so  loud  for  Grif  and  would 
not  —  would  not  be  comforted. 

She  saw  Phemie  frequently.  The  much-abused 
professor  had  proved  himself  a  faithful  friend  to  them. 
He  had  never  been  quite  able  to  forget  the  little  Eng 
lish  governess,  who  had  so  won  upon  him  in  the  past, 
even  though  this  same  young  lady,  in  her  anxiety  to 


348  VAGABONDIA. 

set  Lady  Augusta  at  defiance,  had  treated  him  some 
what  cavalierly.  Indeed,  hearing  that  she  was  ill,  he 
was  so  touched  as  to  be  quite  overwhelmed  with  grief. 
He  gained  Euphemia  frequent  leaves  of  absence,  and 
sent  messages  of  condolence  and  bouquets,  —  huge 
bunches  of  flowers  which  made  Dolly  laugh  even 
while  they  pleased  her.  There  was  always  a  bou 
quet,  stiff  in  form  and  gigantic  in  proportions,  when 
Phemie  came. 

At  first  Phemie  caught  the  contagion  of  Dolly's 
own  spirit  and  hopefulness,  and  was  sustained  by  it 
in  spite  of  appearances ;  but  its  influence  died  out  at 
the  end  of  a  few  weeks,  and  even  she  was  not  to  be 
deceived.  An  awful  fear  began  to  force  itself  upon 
her,  —  a  fear  doubly  awful  to  poor,  susceptible 
Phemie.  Dolly  was  getting  no  better ;  she  was  even 
getting  worse  every  day  ;  she  could  not  sit  up ;  she 
was  thinner  and  larger-eyed  than  ever.  Was  some 
thing  going  to  happen  ?  And  at  the  mere  thought  of 
that  possible  something  she  would  lose  her  breath 
and  sit  looking  at  Dolly,  silent,  wondering,  and  awe- 
stricken.  She  began  to  ponder  over  this  something, 
as  she  tried  to  learn  her  lessons ;  she  thought  of  it  as 
she  went  to  bed  and  she  dreamed  of  it  in  the  night. 
Sometimes  when  she  came  in  unexpectedly  and  found 
Dolly  in  one  of  those  prostrate  sleeps,  she  was  so 
frightened  that  she  could  have  cried  out  aloud. 

She  came  in  so  one   evening  at  twilight,  ^-  the 


VAGABONDIA.  349 

professor  had  brought  her  himself  and  had  promised 
to  escort  her  home,  —  and  she  found  Dolly  in  one  of 
these  sleeps.  So,  treading  lightly,  she  put  the  bouquet 
in  water,  and  then  drew  a  low  chair  to  the  girl's  side 
and  sat  down  to  watch  and  wait  until  she  should 
awaken.  Miss  MacDowlas  was  in  her  own  room 
writing  to  Aimee ;  so  the  place  seemed  very  quiet,  and 
it  was  its  quietness,  perhaps,  which  so  stirred  Phemie" 
to  sorrowful  thoughts  and  fear. 

Upon  her  brightly  flowered  chintz  cushions  Dolly 
lay  like  the  shadow  of  her  former  self.  The  once 
soft,  round  outlines  of  her  face  had  grown  clear  and 
sharp-cut,  the  delicate  chin  had  lost  its  dimple,  the 
transparent  skin  upon  the  temples  showed  a  tracery 
of  blue  veins,  the  closed  eyelids  had  a  strange  white 
ness  and  lay  upon  her  eyes  heavily.  She  did  not 
move,  —  she  seemed  scarcely  to  breathe.  Phemie 
caught  her  own  breath  and  held  it,  lest  it  should 
break  from  her  in  a  sob  of  grief  and  terror. 

This  something  awful  was  going  to  happen  !  She 
could  not  recover  herself  even  when  Dolly  wakened 
and  began  to  talk  to  her.  She  could  not  think  of 
anything  but  her  own  anguish  and  pity  for  her  friend. 
She  could  not  talk  and  was  so  silent,  indeed,  that 
Dolly  became  silent  too ;  and  so,  as  the  dusk  fell  upon 
them,  they  sat  together  in  a  novel  quiet,  listening  to 
a  band  of  strolling  musicians,  who  were  playing  some 
where  in  the  distance,  and  the  sound  of  whose 


350  VAGABONDIA. 

instruments  floated  to  them,  softened  and  made 
plaintive  by  the  evening  air. 

At  last  Dolly  broke  the  silence. 

"  You  are  very  quiet,  Phemie,"  she  said.  "  Are  you 
going  to  sleep  ? " 

"  No,"  faltered  Phemie,  drawing  closer  to  her.  "  I 
am  thinking." 

"  Thinking.     What  about  ? " 

"  About  you.  Dolly,  do  you  —  are  you  very  ill  — 
worse  than  you  were  ?  " 

"  Very  ill ! "  repeated  Dolly,  slowly,  as  if  in  wonder. 
"  Worse  than  I  was  !  Why  do  you  ask  ? " 

Then  Phemie  lost  self-control  altogether.  She  left 
her  seat  and  fell  down  by  the  couch,  bursting  into 
tears. 

"You  are  so  altered,"  she  said;  "and  you  alter  so 
much  every  week.  I  cried  over  your  poor,  thin  little 
hands  when  first  I  came  to  see  you,  but  now  your 
wrist  looks  as  if  it  would  snap  in  two.  Oh,  Dolly, 
darling,  if — if  you  should  die!"  , 

Was  it  quite  a  new  thought,  or  was  it  because  it 
had  never  come  home  to  her  in  such  a  form  before, 
this  thought  of  Death?  She  started  as  if  she  had 
been  stung. 

"  If  I  should  die  ! "  she  echoed.     "  Die  !  " 

"  Phemie,  my  dear,"  said  Miss  MacDowlas,  opening 
the  door,  "  the  professor  is  waiting  down-stairs." 

And  so,  having  let  her  sorrow  get  the  better  of 


VAGABONDIA.  351 

her,  Phemie  had  no  time  to  stay  to  see  if  her  indis 
cretion  had  done  harm.  If  she  did  not  go  now,  she 
might  not  be  allowed  fresh  grace;  and  so  she  was  fain 
to  tear  herself  away. 

"  T  ought  n't  to  have  said  it !  "  she  bewailed,  as  she 
kissed  Dolly  again  and  again.  "  Please  forget  it ;  oh, 
do,  please,  forget  it !  I  did  not  mean  it,  indeed  ! 
And  now  I  shall  be  so  frightened  and  unhappy  ! " 

"Phemie,"  said  Dolly,  quietly,  "you  have  not  fright 
ened  me;  so  you  haven't  the  least  need  to  trouble 
yourself,  rny  dear." 

But  she  was  not  exactly  sorry  to  be  left  alone,  and 
when  she  was  alone  her  thoughts  wandered  back  to 
that  first  evening  Phemie  had  called,  —  the  evening 
she  had  gone  to  the  glass  to  look  at  her  changed  face. 
She  had  sat  in  the  basket-chair  then,  —  she  lay  back 
upon  her  cushions  now,  and  a  crowd  of  new  thoughts 
came  trooping  through  her  mind.  The  soft  air  was 
scented  and  balmy ;  the  twilight  sky  was  a  dome  of 
purple,  jewel-hung ;  people's  voices  came  murmuring 
from  the  gardens  below ;  the  far-off  music  floated  to 
her  through  the  window. 

"  If  I  should  die  !  "  she  said,  in  a  wondering  whis 
per,  — "  I,  Dolly  Crewe  !  How  strange  it  sounds  ! 
Have  I  never  thought  that  I  could  die  before,  or  is  it 
strange  because  now  it  is  so  real  and  near  ?  When 
I  used  to  talk  about  death  to  Grif,  it  always  seemed 
so  far  away  from  both  of  us ;  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  I 


352  VAGABONDIA. 

was  not  good  enough  or  unreal  enough  to  be  near  to 
Death,  —  great,  solemn  Death  itself.  Why,  I  could 
look  at  myself,  and  wonder  at  the  thought  of  how 
much  I  shall  see  and  know  if  I  should  die.  Grif, 
how  much  I  should  have  to  tell  you,  dear,  —  only  that 
people  are  always  afraid  of  spirits,  and  perhaps  you 
would  be  afraid,  too,  —  even  of  me !  What  would 
they  say  at  home  ?  Dear,  old,  broken-hearted  fellow, 
what  would  you  say,  if  I  should  die  ?  " 

She  could  not  help  thinking  about  those  at  home ; 
about  Aimee  and  Mollie  and  Phil  and  'Toinette, 
sitting  together  in  the  dear  old  littered  room  at 
Bloomsbury  Place,  —  the  dear  old  untidy  room,  where 
she  had  sat  with  Grif  so  often  !  How  would  they  all 
bear  it  when  the  letter  came  to  tell  them  she  was 
gone,  and  would  never  be  with  them  and  share  their 
pleasures  and  troubles  again !  And  then,  strangely 
enough,  she  began  to  picture  herself  as  she  would 
look ;  perhaps,  laid  out  in  this  very  room,  a  dimly 
outlined  figure,  under  a  white  sheet,  —  not  her  old 
self,  but  a  solemn,  wondrous  marble  form,  before 
whose  motionless,  mysterious  presence  they  would  feel 
awed. 

"And  they  would  turn  down  the  white  covering 
and  look  at  me,"  she  found  herself  saying.  "And 
they  would  wonder  at  me,  and  feel  that  I  was  far 
away.  Oh,  how  they  would  wonder  at  me  !  And,  at 
the  very  last,  before  they  hid  my  face  forever  under 


VAGABONDIA.  353 

the  coffin-lid,  they  would  all  kiss  me  in  that  tender, 
solemn  way,  —  all  but  Grif,  who  loved  me  best ;  and 
Grif  would  not  be  there  !  " 

And  the  piteous  rain  of  heavy  tears  that  rolled 
down  her  cheeks,  and  fell  upon  her  pillow,  was  not 
for  herself,  —  riot  for  her  own  pain  and  weariness  and 
anguish,  —  not  for  the  white,  worn  face,  that  would 
be  shut  beneath  the  coffin-lid,  but  for  Grif,  —  for  Grif, 
—  for  Grif,  who,  coming  back  some  day  to  learn  the 
truth,  might  hear  that  she  had  died ! 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

DO  YOU  KNOW  THAT  SHE  IS  DYING? 

IT  had  come  at  last,  —  the  letter  from  Geneva,  for 
which  they  all  had  waited  with  such  anxious 
hearts  and  so  much  of  dread.  The  postman,  bring 
ing  it  by  the  morning's  delivery,  and  handing  it 
through  the  opened  door  to  Airnee,  had  wondered  a 
little  at  her  excited  manner,  —  she  was  always  excited 
when  these  letters  came;  and  the  moment  she  had 
entered  the  parlor,  holding  the  hurriedly  read  note,  — 
it  was  scarcely  more  than  a  note,  —  there  was  not 
one  of  them  who  did  not  understand  all  before  she 
spoke. 

Mrs.  Phil  burst  into  tears ;  Phil  himself  laid  down 
his  brush  and  changed  color ;  Mollie  silently  clung 
to  Tod  as  a  refuge,  and  looked  up  with  trembling 
lips. 

Mrs.  Phil  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"You  may  as  well  tell  us  the  worst,"  she  said; 
"  but  it  is  easy  enough  to  guess  what  it  is,  without 
being  told." 

"It  is   almost   the  very  worst,"  answered   Aimee. 


VAGABONDIA.  355 

"  Miss  MacDowlas  wants  me  to  go  to  them  at  once. 
She  is  so  ill  that  if  a  change  does  not  take  place,  she 
will  not  live  many  weeks,  and  she  has  asked  for  me." 

They  all  knew  only  too  well  that  "she"  meant 
Dolly. 

"  Then,"  said  Phil,  "  you  must  go  at  once." 

"I  can  go  to-day,"  she  answered.  "I  knew  it 
would  come  to  this,  and  I  am  ready  to  leave  London 
at  any  moment." 

There  was  no  delay.  Her  small  box  was  even  then 
ready  packed  and  corded  for  the  journey.  She  had 
taken  Miss  MacDowlas's  warning  in  time.  It  would 
not  have  been  like  this  heavy-hearted  wise  one  to 
disregard  it.  She  would  have  been  ready  to  go  to 
Dolly  at  ten  minutes'  notice,  if  she  had  been  in  India. 
She  was  not  afraid,  either,  of  making  the  journey 
alone.  It  was  not  a  very  terrible  journey,  she  said. 
Secretly,  she  had  a  fancy  that  perhaps  Dolly  would 
like  to  see  her  by  herself  first,  to  have  a  few  quiet 
days  alone  with  her,  in  which  she  could  become  used 
to  the  idea  of  the  farewell  the  rest  would  come  to  say. 
And  in  her  mind  the  poor  little  oracle  had  another 
fancy,  too,  and  this  fancy  she  confided  to  Mollie 
before  bidding  her  good-by. 

"  Mollie,"  she  said,  "  I  am  going  to  leave  a  charge 
in  your  hands." 

"  Is  it  anything  about  Dolly  ?  "  asked  Mollie,  mak 
ing  fruitless  efforts  to  check  her  affectionate  tears. 


356  VAGABONDIA. 

"  I  wish  you  would  leave  me  something  to  do  for 
Dolly,  Aimee." 

"  It  is  something  connected  with  Dolly,"  returned 
Aimee.  "  I  want  you  to  keep  constantly  on  the 
watch  for  Griffith." 

"For  Griffith!"  Mollie  exclaimed.  "How  can  I, 
when  I  don't  know  whether  he  is  in  England  or  not  ? " 

"  He  is  in  England,"  Aimee  replied.  "  He  is  in 
London,  for  Mr.  Gowan  has  seen  him." 

"  In  London  —  and  Dolly  in  Switzerland,  perhaps 
dying!" 

"  He  does  not  know  that,  or  he  would  have  been 
with  her  before  now,"  said  Airnee.  "Once  let  him 
know  that  she  is  ill,  and  he  will  be  with  her.  I  know 
him  well  enough  to  be  sure  of  that.  And  it  is  my 
impression  that  if  he  went  to  her  at  the  eleventh  hour, 
when  she  might  seem  to  us  to  be  at  the  very  last,  he 
would  bring  her  back  to  life.  It  is  Grif  she  is  dying 
for,  and  only  Grif  can  save  her." 

"And  what  do  you  want  me  to  do  ? "  anxiously. 

"  To  watch  for  him  constantly,  as  I  said.  Don't 
you  think,  Mollie,  that  he  might  come  back,  if  it 
were  only  into  the  street  to  look  at  the  house,  in  a 
restless  sort  of  remembrance  of  the  time  when  they 
used  to  be  so  happy?" 

"It  would  not  be  unlike  him,"  answered  Mollie, 
slowly.  "He  was  very  fond  of  Dolly.  Oh,  he  was 
very  fond  of  her ! " 


VAGABONDIA.  357 

"  Fond  of  her !  He  loved  her  better  than  his  life, 
and  does  still,  wherever  he  may  be.  Something  tells 
me  he  will  come,  and  that  is  why  I  want  you  to 
watch.  Watch  at  the  window  as  constantly  as  you 
can,  but  more  particularly  at  dusk ;  and  if  you  should 
see  him,  Mollie,  don't  wait  a  second.  Run  out  to 
him,  and  make  him  listen  to  you.  Ah,  poor  fellow, 
he  will  listen  eagerly  and  penitently  enough,  if  you 
only  say  to  him  that  Dolly  is  dying." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mollie,  "  I  will  remember." 
And  thus  the  wise  one  took  her  departure. 


It  was  twilight  in  Bloomsbury  Place,  and  Mollie 
crouched  before  the  parlor  window,  resting  her  chin 
upon  her  hands,  and  looking  out,  pretty  much  as 
Aimee  had  looked  out  on  that  winter  evening  months 
ago,  when  Mr.  Gerald  Chandos  had  first  presented 
himself  to  her  mind  as  an  individual  to  be  dreaded. 

Three  days  had  passed  since  the  wise  one  left 
London,  —  three  miserable,  dragging  days  they  had 
seemed  to  Mollie,  despite  their  summer  warmth  and 
sunshine.  Real  anxiety  and  sorrow  were  new  experi 
ences  in  Vagabondia ;  little  trials  they  had  felt,  and 
often  enough  small  unpleasantnesses,  privations,  and 
disappointments  ;  but  death  and  grief  were  new.  And 
they  were  just  beginning  to  realize  broadly  the  blow 
which  had  fallen  upon  them  ;  hard  as  it  was  to  believe 


358  VAGABONDIA. 

at  first,  they  were  beginning  slowly  to  comprehend 
the  sad  meaning  of  the  lesson  they  were  learning 
now  for  the  first  time.  What  each  had  felt  a  fear  of 
in  secret  was  coming  to  pass  at  last,  and  there  was 
no  help  against  it. 

Phil  went  about  his  work  looking  as  none  of  them 
had  ever  seen  him  look  before.  Mrs.  Phil's  tears  fell 
thick  and  fast.  Not  understanding  the  mystery,  she 
could  blame  nobody  but  Grif,  and  Grif  she  could  not 
forgive.  To  Mollie  the  house  seemed  like  a  grave. 
She  could  think  of  nothing  but  Dolly,  —  Dolly,  white 
and  worn  and  altered,  lying  upon  her  couch,  her  eyes 
closed,  her  breath  fluttering  faintly.  She  wondered 
if  she  was  afraid  to  die.  She  herself  had  a  secret 
girlish  terror  of  death  and  its  strange  solemness,  and 
she  so  pitied  Dolly  that  sometimes  she  could  not  con 
tain  her  grief,  and  was  obliged  to  hide  herself  until 
her  tears  spent  themselves. 

She  had  been  crying  during  all  this  twilight  hour 
she  had  knelt  at  the  window.  She  was  so  lonely  that 
it  seemed  impossible  to  do  anything  else.  It  would 
have  been  bad  enough  to  bear  the  suspense  even  if 
Aiinee  had  been  with  her,  but  without  Airnee  it  was 
dreadful.  The  tears  slipped  down  her  cheeks  and 
rolled  away,  and  she  did  not  even  attempt  to  dry 
them,  her  affectionate  grief  had  mastered  her  com 
pletely.  But  she  was  roused  at  length.  Some  one 
crossed  the  street  from  the  pavement  opposite  the 


VAGABONDIA.  359 

house ;  and  when  this  some  one  entered  the  gate  and 
ascended  the  steps,  she  rose  slowly,  half-reluctant, 
half-comforted,  and  with  a  faint  thrill  at  her  heart. 
It  was  Ralph  Gowan,  and  she  was  not  wise  enough 
or  self-controlled  enough  yet  to  see  Ralph  Gowan 
without  feeling  her  pulses  quicken. 

When  she  opened  the  door  he  did  not  greet  her  as 
usual,  but  spoke  to  her  at  once  in  a  low,  hurried 
tone. 

"  Mollie,  where  is  Aimee  ?  "  he  asked. 

Her  tears  began  to  flow  again  ;  she  could  not  help 
giving  way. 

"  You  had  better  come  in,"  she  said,  half  turning 
away  from  him  and  speaking  brokenly.  "  Aimee  is 
not  here.  She  left  London  three  days  ago.  Dolly  —  " 

"  Dolly  is  worse  ! "  he  said,  because  she  could  not 
finish. 

She  nodded,  with  a  heart  too  full  for  words. 

He  stepped  inside,  and,  closing  the  door,  laid  his 
hand  upon  her  shoulder. 

"  Then,  Mollie,"  he  said,  "  I  must  come  to  you." 

He  did  not  wait  a  moment,  but  led  her  gently 
enough  into  the  parlor,  and,  blinded  as  she  was  by 
her  tears,  she  saw  that  instant  that  he  had  not  come 
without  a  reason. 

"  Don't  cry,"  he  said.  "  I  want  you  to  be  brave 
and  calm  now,  —  for  Dolly's  sake.  I  want  your  help, 
—  for  Dolly's  sake,  remember." 


360  VAGABONDIA. 

She  recollected  Aimee's  words  —  "  Mr.  Gowan  lias 
seen  him"' — and  a  sudden  light  flashed  upon  her. 
The  tears  seemed  to  dry  of  their  own  accord  all  at 
once,  as  she  looked  up. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered. 

He  knew,  without  hearing  another  word,  that  he 
might  trust  her. 

"  Can  you  guess  whom  I  have  just  this  moment 
seen  ?  "  he  said. 

"Yes,"  sprang  from  her  lips,  without  a  second's 
hesitation.  "  You  have  seen  Grif." 

"I  have  seen  Grif,"  he  answered.  "He  is  at  the 
corner  of  the  street  now.  If  I  had  attempted  to  speak 
to  him  he  would  have  managed  to  avoid  me  ;  and  be 
cause  I  knew  that,  I  came  here,  hoping  to  find  Aimee  ; 
but  since  Aimee  is  not  here  —  " 

"  I  can  go,"  she  interrupted  him,  all  a- tremble  with 
eagerness.  "  He  will  listen  to  me ;  he  was  fond  of 
me,  too,  and  I  was  fond  of  him.  Oh  !  let  me  go 
now ! " 

That  bright  little  scarlet  shawl  of  Dolly's  lay  upon 
the  sofa,  and  she  snatched  it  up  with  shaking  hands 
and  threw  it  over  her  head  and  shoulders. 

"  If  I  can  speak  to  him  once,  he  will  listen,"  she 
said  ;  "  and  if  he  listens,  Dolly  will  be  saved.  She 
won't  die  if  Grif  comes  back.  She  can't  die  if  Grif 
comes  back.  Oh,  Dolly,  my  darling,  you  saved  me, 
and  I  am  going  to  try  to  save  you." 


VAGABONDIA.  361 

She  was  out  in  the  street  in  two  minutes,  standing 
on  the  pavement,  looking  up  and  down,  and  then  she 
ran  across  to  the  other  side.  She  kept  close  to  the 
houses,  so  that  she  might  be  in  their  shadow,  and  a 
little  sob  broke  from  her  as  she  hurried  along,  —  a  sob 
of  joy  and  fear  and  excitement.  At  the  end  of  the 
row  of  houses  somebody  was  standing  under  the  street 
lamp,  —  a  man.  Was  it  Grif,  —  or  could  Grif  have 
gone  even  in  this  short  time  ?  Fate  could  never  have 
been  so  cruel  to  him,  to  her,  to  them  all,  as  to  let  him 
come  so  near  and  then  go  away  without  hearing  that 
Dolly  was  lying  at  death's  portals,  and  no  one  could 
save  her  but  himself  and  the  tender  power  of  the 
sweet,  old,  much-tried  love.  Oh,  no,  no  !  It  was  Grif 
indeed ;  for  as  she  neared  the  place  where  he  stood, 
she  saw  his  face  in  the  lamp-light,  —  a  grief- worn, 
pallid  face,  changed  and  haggard  and  desperate,  —  a 
sight  that  made  her  cry  out  aloud. 

He  had  not  seen  her  or  even  heard  her.  He  stood 
there  looking  toward  the  house  she  had  left,  and  see 
ing,  as  it  seemed,  nothing  else.  Only  the  darkness 
had  hidden  her  from  him.  His  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  dim  light  that  burned  in  Dolly's  window. 
She  had  not  meant  to  speak  until  she  stood  close 
to  him ;  but  when  she  was  within  a  few  paces  of 
him  her  excitement  mastered  her. 

"  Grif,"  she  cried  out ;  "  Grif,  is  it  you  ?  " 

And  when  he  turned,  with  a  great  start,  to  look  at 


362  VAGABONDIA. 

her,  she  was  upon  him,  —  her  hands  outstretched,  the 
light  upon  her  face,  the  tears  streaming  down  her 
cheeks,  —  sobbing  aloud. 

"  Mollie,"  he  answered,  "  is  it  you  ? "  And  she 
saw  that  he  almost  staggered. 

She  could  not  speak  at  first.  She  clung  to  his  arm 
so  tightly  that  he  could  scarcely  have  broken  away 
from  her  if  he  had  tried.  But  he  did  not  try ;  it 
seemed  as  though  her  touch  made  him  weak,  —  weaker 
than  he  had  ever  been  before  in  his  life.  Beauty  as 
she  was,  they  had  always  thought  her  in  some  way 
like  Dolly,  and,  just  now,  with  Dolly's  gay  little  scar 
let  shawl  slipping  away  from  her  face,  with  the  great 
grief  in  her  imploring  eyes,  with  that  innocent  appeal 
ing  trick  of  the  clinging  hands,  she  might  almost 
have  been  Dolly's  self. 

Try  as  he  might,  he  could  not  regain  his  self-control. 
He  was  sheerly  powerless  before  her. 

"  Mollie,"  he  said,  "  what  has  brought  you  here  ? 
Why  have  you  come  ? " 

"  I  have  come,"  she  answered,  "  for  Dolly's  sake  ! " 

The  vague  fear  he  had  felt  at  first  caught  hold  upon 
him  with  all  the  fulness  of  its  strength. 

"  For  Dolly's  sake  ! "  he  echoed.  "  Nay,  Dolly  has 
done  with  me,  and  I  with  her."  And  though  he  tried 
to  speak  bitterly,  he  failed. 

She  was  too  fond  of  Dolly,  and  too  full  of  grief  to 
spare  him  after  that.  Unstrung  as  she  was,  her  re- 


VAGABONDIA.  363 

proach  burst  forth  from  her  without  a  softened  touch. 
"  Dolly  has  done  with  earth.  Dolly's  life  is  over," 
she  sobbed.  "  Do  you  know  that  she  is  dying  ?  Yes, 
dying,  —  our  own  bright  Dolly,  —  and  you  —  you 
have  killed  her  ! " 

She  had  not  thought  how  cruel  it  would  sound,  and 
the  next  instant  she  was  full  of  terror  at  the  effect  of 
her  own  words.  He  broke  loose  from  her,  — fell  loose 
from  her,  one  might  better  describe  it,  for  it  was  his 
own  weight  rather  than  any  effort  which  dragged  him 
from  her  grasp.  He  staggered  and  caught  hold  of  the 
iron  railings  to  save  himself,  and  there  hung,  staring 
at  her  with  a  face  like  a  dead  man. 

"  My  God !  "  he  said,  —  not  another  word. 

"  You  must  not  give  way  like  that,"  she  cried  out, 
in  a  new  fright.  "  Oh,  how  could  I  speak  so  !  Aimee 
would  have  told  you  better.  I  did  not  mean  to  be  so 
hard.  You  can  save  her  if  you  will.  She  will  not 
die,  Grif,  if  you  go  to  her.  She  only  wants  you. 
Grif,  —  Grif,  —  you  look  as  if  you  could  not  under 
stand  what  I  am  saying."  And  she  wrung  her 
hands. 

And,  indeed,  it  scarcely  seemed  as  if  he  did  under 
stand,  though  at  last  he  spoke. 

"  Where  is  she  ? "  he  said.  "  Not  here  ?  You  say 
I  must  '  go '  to  her." 

"  No,  she  is  not  here.  She  is  at  Lake  Geneva. 
Miss  MacDowlas  took  her  there  because  she  grew  so 


364  VAGABONDIA. 

weak,  and  she  has  grown  weaker  ever  since,  and  three 
days  ago  they  sent  for  Aimee  to  come  to  her,  because 
—  because  they  think  she  is  going  to  die." 

"  And  you  say  that  /  have  done  this  ? " 

"  I  ought  n't  to  have  put  it  that  way,  it  sounds  so 
cruel,  but  —  but  she  has  never  been  like  herself  since 
the  night  you  went  away,  and  we  have  all  known 
that  it  was  her  unhappiness  that  made  her  ill.  She 
could  not  get  over  it,  and  though  she  tried  to  hide  it, 
she  was  worn  out.  She  loved  you  so." 

He  interrupted  her. 

"  If  she  is  dying  for  me,"  he  said,  hoarsely,  "  she 
must  have  loved  me,  and  if  she  has  loved  me  through 
all  this,  —  God  help  us  both  !" 

"  How  could  you  go  away  and  leave  her  all  alone 
after  all  those  years  ?  "  demanded  Mollie.  "  We  can 
not  understand  it.  No  one  knows  but  Aimee,  and 
Dolly  has  told  her  that  you  were  not  to  blame. 
Why  did  you  go  ? " 

"  You  do  not  know  ? "  he  said.  "  You  should  know, 
Mollie,  of  all  others.  You  were  with  her  when  she 
played  that  miserable  coquette's  trick, — that  pitiful 
trick,  so  unlike  herself,  —  you  were  with  her  that 
night  when  she  let  Gowan  keep  her  away  from  me, 
when  I  waited  for  her  coming  hour  after  hour.  I 
saw  you  with  them  when  he  was  bidding  her  good 
night." 

They  had  hidden  their  secret  well  all  these  months, 


VAGABONDIA.  365 

but  it  was  to  be  hidden  no  longer  now.  It  flashed 
upon  her  like  an  electric  shock.  She  remembered  a 
hundred  things,  —  a  hundred  little  mysteries  she  had 
met  and  been  puzzled  by,  in  Aimee's  manner;  she 
remembered  all  she  had  heard,  and  all  she  had  won 
dered  at,  and  her  heart  seemed  turned  to  stone.  The 
flush  of  weeping  died  out  of  her  face,  her  hands  fell 
and  hung  down  at  her  side,  her  tears  were  gone ; 
nothing  seemed  left  to  her  but  blank  horror. 

"  Was  it  because  she  did  not  come  that  night,  that 
you  left  her  to  die  ? "  she  asked,  in  a  labored  voice. 
"  Was  it  because  you  saw  her  with  Ralph  Go  wan  — 
was  it  because  you  found  out  that  she  had  been  with 
him,  that  you  went  away  and  let  her  break  her 
heart  ?  Tell  me  !  " 

He  answered  her,  "  Yes." 

"  Then,"  she  said,  turning  to  face  him,  still  cold, 
and  almost  rigid,  "  it  is  /  who  have  killed  her,  and 
not  you." 

"  You ! "  he  exclaimed. 

She  did  not  wait  to  choose  her  words,  or  try  to 
soften  the  story  of  her  own  humiliation. 

"  If  she  dies,"  she  said,  "  she  has  died  for  me." 

And  without  further  preface  she  told  him  all. 
How  she  had  let  Gerald  Chandos  flatter  and  gain 
power  over  her,  until  the  climax  of  her  folly  had 
been  the  wild,  wilful  escapade  of  that  miserable  long- 
past  day.  How  Ealph  Gowan  had  discovered  hei 


366  VAGABONDIA. 

romantic  secret,  and  revealed  it  to  Dolly.  How  they 
had  followed  and  rescued  her ;  even  how  Dolly  had 
awakened  her  from  her  dangerous  dream  with  that 
light  touch,  and  had  drawn  her  away  from  the  brink 
of  an  abyss,  with  her  loving,  girlish  hands ;  and  she 
ended  with  an  outburst  of  anguish. 

"  Why  did  n't  she  tell  you  ?  "  she  said.  "  For  my 
sake  she  did  not  want  the  rest  to  know ;  but  why  did 
not  she  tell  you  ?  I  cannot  understand." 

"  She  tried  to  tell  me,"  he  said,  in  an  agony  of  self- 
reproach,  as  he  began  to  see  what  he  had  done,  — 
"  she  tried  to  tell  me,  and  I  would  not  hear  her." 

All  his  bygone  sufferings  —  and,  Heaven  knows, 
he  had  suffered  bitterly  and  heavily  enough  —  sank 
into  insignificance  before  the  misery  of  this  hour.  To 
know  how  true  and  pure  of  heart  she  had  been ;  to 
know  how  faithful,  unselfish,  sweet ;  to  remember 
how  she  had  met  him  with  a  tender  little  cry  of  joy, 
with  outstretched,  innocent  hands,  that  he  had  thrust 
aside  ;  to  remember  the  old  golden  days  in  which  she 
had  so  clung  to  him,  and  brightened  his  life  ;  to  think 
how  he  had  left  her  lying  upon  the  sofa  that  night, 
her  white  face  drooping  piteously  against  the  cush 
ions  ;  to  have  all  come  back  to  him  and  know  that 
he  only  was  to  blame  ;  to  know  it  all  too  late.  Nay, 
a  whole  life  of  future  bliss  could  never  quite  efface 
the  memory  of  such  a  passion  of  remorse  and  pain. 

"  Oh,  my   God  !  "  he  prayed,  "  have   mercy   upon 


VAGABONDIA.  367 

me  ! "  And  then  he  turned  upon  Mollie.  "  Tell  me 
where  to  go  to ;  tell  me,  and  let  me  go.  I  must  go 
to  her  now  without  a  moment's  waiting.  My  poor, 
faithful  little  girl,  —  my  pretty  Dolly  !  Dying,  — 
dying  !  No,  I  don't  believe  it,  —  I  won't.  She  can 
not  die  yet.  Fate  has  been  cruel  enough  to  us,  but  it 
cannot  be  so  cruel  as  that.  Love  will  make  her  live." 

He  dashed  down  Mollie's  directions  in  desperate, 
feverish  haste  upon  a  leaf  of  his  memorandum-book, 
and  then  he  bade  her  good-by. 

"God  bless  you,  dear!"  he  said.  "Perhaps  you 
have  saved  us  both.  I  am  going  to  her  now.  Pray 
for  me." 

"  I  ought  rather  to  pray  for  myself,"  she  said ;  "  but 
for  me  you  would  never  have  been  separated.  I 
have  done  it  all." 

And  a  few  minutes  after  he  had  gone,  Ealph 
Gowan,  who  had  awaited  her  return  before  the  win 
dow,  turned  to  see  her  enter  the  room  like  a  spirit 
and  fling  herself  down  before  him,  looking  white  and 
shaken  and  pale. 

"  I  have  found  it  all  out  now,"  she  cried.  "  I  have 
found  it  all  out.  I  have  done  all  this,  Mr.  Gowan ; 
it  is  through  me  her  heart  is  broken,  and  if  she  dies, 
I  shall  have  caused  her  death,  as  surely  as  if  I  had 
killed  her  with  my  own  hand.  Oh,  save  me  from 
thinking  she  will  die,  —  help  me  to  think  she  will 
live,  —  help  me!" 


368  VAGABONDIA. 

There  was  no  one  else  to  help  her,  and  the  blind 
terror  of  the  thought  was  so  great  that  she  must  have 
help,  or  die.  To  have  so  injured  Dolly,  whom  she  so 
loved,  —  to  have,  by  her  own  deed,  brought  that  dread 
shadow  of  Death  upon  Dolly,  who  had  saved  her ! 
Her  heart  seemed  crushed.  If  Aime'e  had  been  there ; 
but  Aime'e  was  not,  so  she  stretched  out  her  hands  to 
the  man  she  had  so  innocently  loved.  And  as  she  so 
knelt  before  him,  —  so  fair,  in  the  childlike  abandon 
of  her  grief,  so  guileless  and  trusting  in  her  sudden, 
sweet  appeal,  so  helpless  against  the  world,  even 
against  herself,  —  his  man's  heart  was  touched  and 
stirred  as  it  had  never  been  before,  —  as  even  Dolly 
herself  had  not  stirred  it. 

"  My  poor  child  !  "  he  said,  taking  her  hands  and 
drawing  her  nearer  to  himself.  "My  poor,  pretty 
Mollie,  come  to  me." 

And  why  not,  my  reader  ?  If  one  rose  is  not  for 
us,  the  sun  shines  on  many  another  as  sweet  and 
quite  as  fair ;  and  what  is  more,  it  is  more  than  proba 
ble  that  if  we  had  seen  the  last  rose  first,  we  should 
have  loved  the  first  rose  last.  It  is  only  when,  like 
Dolly  and  Grif,  we  have  watched  our  rose  from  its 
first  peep  of  the  leaf,  and  have  grown  with  its  growth, 
that  there  can  be  no  other  rose  but  one. 

"  Le  roi  est  mort  —  Vive  le  roi  !  " 


CHAPTEK  XVTII. 

GRIF  ! 

npHEEE  was  a  hush  upon  the  guests  at  the  pretty 
-L  little  inn.  Most  of  them  were  not  sojourners 
of  a  day,  who  came  and  went,  as  they  did  at  the 
larger  and  busier  hotels,  —  they  were  comfortable 
people  who  enjoyed  themselves  in  their  own  quiet 
way  and  so  had  settled  down  for  the  time  being. 
Accordingly  they  had  leisure  to  become  interested  in 
each  other ;  and  there  were  few  of  them  who  did  not 
feel  a  friendly  interest  in  the  pretty,  pale  English 
girl,  who,  report  said,  was  fading  silently  out  of  life 
in  her  bright  room  up-stairs.  When  Aimee  arrived, 
the  most  sympathetic  shook  their  heads  dubiously. 

"  The  sister  is  here,"  they  said  ;  "a  thoughtful  little 
English  creature  with  a  child's  face  and  a  woman's 
air.  They  sent  for  her.  One  can  easily  guess  what 
that  means." 

Any  one  but  Aime*e  would  have  been  crushed  at 
the  outset  by  the  shock  of  the  change  which  was  to 
be  seen  in  the  poor  little  worn  figure,  now  rarely 
moved  from  its  invalid's  couch.  But  Aimee  bore  the 

24 


370  VAGABONDIA. 

blow  with  outward  quiet  at  least.  If  she  shed  tears 
Dolly  did  not  see  them,  and  if  she  mourned  Dolly  was 
not  disturbed  by  her  sorrow. 

"I  have  come  to  help  Miss  MacDowlas  to  take 
care  of  you,  Dolly,"  she  said,  when  she  gave  her  her 
greeting  kiss,  and  Dolly  smiled  and  kissed  her  in 
return. 

But  it  was  a  terribly  hard  matter  to  fight  through 
at  first.  Of  course,  as  the  girl  had  become  weaker 
she  had  lost  power  over  herself.  She  was  restless 
and  listless  by  turns.  Sometimes  she  started  at  every 
sound,  and  again  she  lay  with  closed  eyes  for  hours, 
dozing  the  day  away.  The  mere  sight  of  her  in  this 
latter  state  threw  poor  Phemie  into  an  agony  of  terror 
and  distress. 

"  It  is  so  like  Death,"  she  would  say  to  Aimee. 
"It  seems  as  if  we  could  never  rouse  her  again." 

And  then  again  she  would  rally  a  little,  and  at 
such  times  she  would  insist  upon  being  propped  up 
and  allowed  to  talk,  and  her  eyes  would  grow  large 
and  bright,  and  a  spot  of  hectic  color  would  burn  on 
her  cheeks.  She  did  not  even  mention  her  trouble 
during  the  first  two  days  of  Aimee's  visit,  but  on  the 
third  afternoon  she  surprised  her  by  broaching  the 
subject  suddenly.  She  had  been  dozing,  and  on 
awakening  she  began  to  talk. 

"  Aimee,"  she  said,  "  where  is  Miss  MacDowlas  ? " 

"  In  her  room.     I  persuaded  her  to  go  and  lie  down." 


VAGABOND1A.  371 

"  I  am  very  glad/'  quietly.  "  I  want  to  do  some 
thing  particular.  I  want  Grif  s  letters,  Aimee." 

"  Where  are  they  ? "  Aimee  asked. 

"In  a  box  in  my  trunk.  I  should  like  to  have 
them  now." 

Aimee  brought  them  to  her  without  comment. 
The  box  had  not  been  large  enough  to  hold  them  all, 
and  there  was  an  extra  packet  tied  with  that  dear  old 
stereotyped  blue  ribbon. 

"What  a  many  there  are!"  said  Dolly,  when  she 
came  to  the  couch  with  them.  "  You  will  have  to  sit 
down  by  me  and  hold  some  of  them.  One  can  write 
a  great  many  letters  in  seven  years." 

The  wise  one  sat  down,  obediently  holding  the  box 
upon  her  knee.  There  were  so  many  letters  in  it 
that  it  was  quite  heavy. 

"I  am  going  to  look  them  over  and  tie  them  in 
packages,  according  to  their  dates,"  said  Dolly.  "  He 
will  like  to  have  them  when  he  comes  back." 

It  would  not  have  been  natural  for  her  to  preserve 
her  calmness  all  through  the  performance  of  her  task. 
Her  first  glance  at  the  first  letter  brought  the  tears, 
and  she  cried  quietly  as  she  passed  from  one  to  the 
other.  They  were  such  tender,  impetuous  letters. 
The  very  headings  —  "  My  Darling,"  "  My  pretty 
Darling,"  "  My  own  sweetest  Life  "  —  impassioned, 
youthful-sounding,  and  Grif-like,  cut  her  to  the  heart. 
Ah !  how  terrible  it  would  be  for  him  to  see  them 


372  VAGABONDIA. 

again,  as  he  would  see  them !  She  was  pitying  him 
far  more  than  she  was  pitying  herself. 

It  was  a  work  not  soon  over,  but  she  finished  it  at 
length.  The  packets  were  assorted  and  tied  with 
new  ribbon,  and  she  lay  down  for  a  few  minutes  to 
rest. 

"You  will  give  them  to  him,  Aimee?"  she  said. 
"I  think  he  will  come  some  day  ;  but  if  he  does  not, 
you  must  keep  them  yourself.  I  should  not  like 
people  to  read  them  —  afterwards.  Love-letters  won't 
stand  being  read  by  strangers.  I  have  often  laughed 
and  told  him  ours  would  n't.  I  am  going  to  write  a 
last  one,  however,  this  afternoon.  You  are  to  give  it 
him,  with  the  '  dead '  letter  —  but  they  are  all  dead 
letters,  are  they  not  ?  " 

"  Dolly,"  said  Aimee,  with  a  desperate  effort,  "  you 
speak  as  if  you  were  sure  you  were  —  going." 

There  was  a  silence,  and  then  a  soft,  low,  tremulous 
laugh,  —  the  merest  echo  of  a  laugh.  Despite  her 
long  suffering  Dolly  was  Dolly  yet.  She  would  not 
let  them  mourn  over  her. 

"  Going,"  she  said,  "  well  —  I  think  I  am.  Yes," 
half  reflectively,  "I  think  I  must  be.  It  cannot 
mean  anything  else,  —  this  feeling,  can  it  ?  It  was  a 
long  time  before  I  quite  believed  it  myself,  Aimee, 
but  now  I  should  be  obliged  to  believe  it  if  I  did  not 
wish  to." 

"  And  do  you  wish  to,  now  ? " 


VAGABOND1A.  373 

That  little  silence  again,  and  then  — 

"  I  should  like  to  see  Grif,  —  I  want  Grif,  —  that 
is  all." 

She  managed  to  write  her  last  love-letter  after 
this,  and  to  direct  it  and  tie  it  with  the  letter  which 
had  returned  to  her,  —  the  "  dead  "  letter.  But  the 
effort  seemed  to  tire  her  very  much,  and  when  all 
was  done  and  her  restless  excitement  had  died  out, 
she  looked  less  like  herself  than  ever.  She  could 
talk  no  more,  and  was  so  weak  and  prostrate 
that  Aimee  was  alarmed  into  summoning  Miss 
MacDowlas. 

But  Miss  MacDowlas  could  only  shake  her  head. 
"We  cannot  do  anything  to  rouse  her,"  she  said. 
"  It  is  often  so.  If  the  end  comes,  it  will  come  in 
this  way.  She  feels  no  pain." 

That  night  Aimee  wrote  to  those  at  home.  They 
must  come  at  once  if  they  wanted  to  see  Dolly.  She 
watched  all  night  by  the  bedside  herself;  she  could 
not  have  slept  if  she  had  gone  to  her  own  room,  and 
so  she  remained  with  Dolly,  watching  her  doze  and 
waken,  starting  from  nervous  sleeps  and  sinking  into 
them  again. 

"  There  will  not  be  many  nights  through  which  I 
can  watch,"  she  said  to  herself.  "Even  this  might 
be  the  last."  And  then  she  turned  to  the  window, 
and  cried  -silently,  thinking  of  Grif,  and  wondering 
what  she  should  say  to  him,  if  they  ever  met  again. 


374  VAGABONDIA. 

How  could  she  say  to  him,  "  Dolly  is  dead  !  Dolly 
died  because  you  left  her  ! " 

Another  weary  day  and  night,  and  then  the  old 
change  came  again.  The  feverish  strength  seemed  to 
come  once  more.  Dolly  would  be  propped  up,  and 
talk.  Before  very  long  Aimee  began  to  fancy  that 
she  had  something  she  wished  to  say  to  Miss  Mac- 
Dowlas.  She  followed  her  movements  with  eager, 
unsatisfied  eyes,  and  did  not  seem  at  ease  until  she 
sat  down  near  her.  Then  when  she  had  secured  her 
attention  the  secret  revealed  itself.  She  had  some 
thing  to  say  about  Grif. 

Gradually,  during  the  long  weary  weeks  of  her  ill 
ness  she  had  learned  to  place  much  confidence  in 
Miss  MacDowlas.  Her  affectionate  nature  had  clung 
to  her.  In  telling  anecdotes  of  life  in  Vagabondia, 
she  had  talked  of  Grif,  —  Vagabondia  would  not 
have  been  Vagabondia  without  Grif,  —  and  there  was 
always  a  thrill  of  faithful  love  in  her  simplest  men 
tion  of  him.  Truly,  Miss  MacDowlas  beheld  her 
reprobate  nephew  in  a  new  light,  surrounded  by  a 
halo  of  innocent  romance  and  unselfish  tenderness. 
This  poor  little  soul,  who  was  breaking  her  heart  for 
his  sake,  showed  him  sinned  against  but  never  sin 
ning,  unfortunate  but  never  to  blame,  showed  him 
honest,  sweet  of  nature,  true,  and  faultless.  Where 
were  his  faults  in  the  eyes  of  his  first  and  last  love  ? 
The  simple,  whimsical  stories  of  their  loves  and 


VAGABONDIA.  375 

lovers'  quarrels,  of  their  small  economies  and  perfect 
faith  in  the  future,  —  a  faith  so  sadly  wrecked,  as 
it  seemed,  by  cruel  Fate,  —  brought  tears  into  Miss 
MacDowlas's  eyes.  Eloquent,  affectionate  Dolly  won 
her  over  before  she  knew  what  she  was  thinking 
about.  He  could  not  have  been  such  a  reprobate, 
after  all,  —  this  Griffith  Donne,  who  had  so  often 
roused  her  indignation.  Perhaps  he  could  not  help 
being  literary  and  wearing  a  shabby  coat  and  a 
questionable  hat.  And  Dolly  had  in  the  end  begun 
to  see  how  her  long-fixed  opinion  had  softened  and 
changed.  So  she  had  courage  to  plead  for  Grif  this 
afternoon.  She  wanted  to  be  sure  that  if  he  should 
ever  come  back,  there  would  be  a  hand  outstretched 
to  help  him. 

"  He  only  wanted  help,"  she  said  ;  "  and  no  one  has 
ever  helped  him,  though  he  tried  so  hard  and  worked 
so.  Aimee  knows  how  hard  he  worked,  don't  you, 
Aimee  ? " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Aimee,  turning  her  working  face 
away. 

"  I  should  like  you  to  promise,"  said  Dolly,  wist 
fully,  to  Miss  MacDowlas.  "  It  would  make  me  so 
much  happier.  You  have  been  so  kind  to  me,  —  I 
am  sure  you  will  be  kind  to  him,  —  poor  Grif, —  poor 
fellow  ! " 

Miss  MacDowlas  bent  over  her,  touched  to  the 
heart. 


376  VAGABONDIA. 

"  My  dear,"  she  said,  "  he  shall  never  want  help 
again.  He  must  have  been  worthy  of  so  much  love, 
or  he  would  never  have  won  it.  I  owe  him  some 
recompense,  too.  If  I  had  not  been  so  stupidly 
blind  I  might  have  saved  you  both  all  this  pain.  I 
have  grown  very  fond  of  you,  Dolly,"  she  ended;  and 
then,  being  quite  overcome,  she  kissed  the  pretty 
hair  suddenly,  gave  the  thin  hand  an  almost  motherly 
squeeze,  and  made  the  best  of  her  way  out  of  the 
room. 

"  Aimee,"  said  Dolly,  "  do  you  remember  how 
often  I  have  made  fun  of  her,  when  we  were  all  so 
happy  together  ?  We  made  a  good  many  mistakes, 
even  in  Vagabondia,  did  n't  we  ? "  And  then  she 
closed  her  eyes  and  lay  silent,  with  wet  lashes  rest 
ing  on  her  cheek. 

In  speaking  of  this  afternoon,  long  afterwards, 
Aimee  said  it  seemed  the  longest  and  weariest  she 
had  ever  known.  It  was  extremely  hot,  and  the 
very  air  seemed  laden  with  heavy  languor.  The  sun 
beat  down  upon  the  outer  world  whitely,  and  scarcely 
a  leaf  stirred.  Miss  MacDowlas  did  not  return,  and 
Dolly,  though  she  was  not  asleep,  lay  quite  still 
and  did  not  open  her  eyes  again.  So  Aimee  sat  and 
watched  at  her  side,  wondering  how  the  day  would 
end,  —  wondering  if  Phil  and  'Toinette  and  Mollie 
would  arrive  before  it  was  too  late,  —  wondering  what 
that  strange  last  hour  would  be  like,  and  how 


VAGABONDIA.  377 

Dolly  would  bear  it  when  it  came,  and  how  they 
themselves  would  bear  to  think  of  it  when  it  was 
over. 

She  was  not  quite  sure  how  long  she  sat  watching 
so,  but  she  fancied  that  it  must  have  been  two  or 
three  hours,  or  even  more.  She  got  up  at  last  and 
drew  down  the  green  blinds  as  noiselessly  as  possible, 
and  then  went  back  to  her  place  and  rested  her 
head  upon  the  pillow  near  Dolly's,  feeling  drowsy 
and  tired,  —  she  had  slept  so  little  during  the  past 
few  nights. 

Dolly  moved  restlessly,  stretching  out  her  hand  to 
Aimee's  and  opening  her  eyes  all  at  once  —  ah  !  what 
large,  hollow,  shadowy  eyes  they  were  ! 

"  I  am  very  tired,"  she  murmured,  "  so  tired  and  so 
weak,  Aimee,"  dreamily.  "  I  suppose  this  is  what 
you  would  call  dying  of  a  broken  heart.  It  seems 
so  queer  that  /  should  die  of  a  broken  heart." 

"Oh,  Dolly  —  Dolly !"  Aimee  whispered,  "our 
own  dearest  dear,  we  never  thought  such  pain  could 
come  to  you." 

But  even  the  next  moment  Dolly  seemed  to  have 
lost  herself,  her  eyes  closed  again  and  she  did  not 
speak.  So  Aimee  lay  holding  her  hand,  until  the 
in-door  silence,  the  shadow  of  the  room,  and  the 
sound  of  the  droning  bees  outside  lulled  her  into  a 
sort  of  doze,  and  her  own  eyelids  fell  wearily. 

A  minute,  was  it,  five  or  ten,  or  more  than  that  ? 


378  VAGABONDIA. 

She  could  not  say.  She  only  remembered  her  own 
last  words,  the  warmth,  the  shadow,  the  droning  of 
the  bees,  and  the  gradual  losing  consciousness,  and 
then  she  was  wide  awake  again,  —  awakened  by  a 
strange,  wild  cry,  which,  thrilling  and  echoing 
through  the  room,  made  her  start  up  with  a  beating 
heart  and  look  towards  the  door. 

"Grif!" 

That  was  all,  —  only  this  single  rapturous  cry,  and 
Dolly,  who  had  before  seemed  not.  to  have  the  strength 
of  a  child,  was  sitting  up,  a  white,  tremulous  figure, 
with  outstretched  arms  and  fluttering  breath,  and 
Grif  was  standing  upon  the  threshold. 

Even  when  she  had  blamed  him  most,  Aimee  had 
pitied  him  also ;  but  she  had  never  pitied  him  as  she 
did  when  he  strode  to  the  couch  and  took  the  weak, 
worn,  tremulous  little  figure  in  his  arms.  He  could 
not  speak,  —  neither  spoke.  Dolly  lay  upon  his 
breast  crying  like  a  little  child.  But  for  him  —  his 
grief  was  terrible;  and  when  the  loving  hand  was 
laid  upon  his  cheek  and  Dolly  found  her  first  words, 
they  only  seemed  to  make  it  worse. 

"  Don't  cry,"  she  said.  "  Don't  cry,  dear.  Kiss 
me  !  "  He  kissed  her  lips,  her  hands,  her  hair.  He 
could  not  bear  it.  She  was  so  like,  yet  so  fearfully 
unlike,  the  winsome,  tender  creature  he  had  loved  so 
long. 

"  Oh,  my  God  ! "  he  cried,  in  his  old  mad  way,  "  you 


VAGABONDIA.  379 

are  dying,  and  if  you  die  it  will  be  I  who  have  mur 
dered  you ! " 

She  moved  a  little  nearer,  so  that  her  pretty  face 
rested  against  his  shoulder  and  she  could  lift  her 
streaming  eyes  to  his,  her  old  smile  shining  through 
her  tears. 

"  Dear  old  fellow/'  she  said,  "  darling  old  fellow, 
whom  I  love  with  all  my  soul !  I  shall  live  just  to 
prove  that  you  have  done  nothing  of  the  kind  ! " 

It  was  only  Grif  she  wanted,  —  only  Grif,  and 
Grif  had  come. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

ROSE   COLOR. 

OF  course  she  recovered.  What  else  could  she 
do  ?  If  a  man  is  dying  for  want  of  bread 
and  you  give  him  bread  enough  and  to  spare,  he  will 
regain  strength  and  life,  will  he  not  ?  And  so  with 
Dolly.  Having  found  Grif,  she  had  nothing  to  die 
for  and  so  much  to  live  for,  that  she  lived.  It 
seemed,  too,  that  even  if  she  had  been  inclined  to 
die,  Grif  would  have  held  her  fast  to  earth.  It  was 
worse  than  useless  to  attempt  to  delude  him  into 
leaving  her  side,  even  for  an  hour  ;  he  hung  over  the 
invalid's  couch  in  such  an  anguish  of  half- despairing 
anxiety  that  the  hearts  of  the  unceremoniously 
deposed  nurses  were  quite  touched.  He  watched 
every  change  in  Dolly's  face,  every  brightening  or 
fading  tint  in  her  cheek,  every  glance  of  her  eyes ;  he 
followed  her  every  movement.  If  she  was  tired  of 
her  posture,  he  could  raise  her  or  lay  her  down  and 
settle  her  cushions  as  no  one  else  could ;  if  she  was 
strong  enough  to  listen,  he  could  talk  to  her ;  if  she 
was  too  weak,  he  could  be  silent. 


VAGABONDIA.  381 

But  naturally  there  was  much  to  talk  about.  Not 
that  the  period  of  his  absence  had  been  a  very  event 
ful  one.  It  was  as  Ealph  Gowan  had  fancied,  —  he 
had  been  living  quietly  enough  in  a  secluded  London 
street  during  the  whole  of  the  time ;  but  Dolly  found 
the  history  of  his  self-banishment  both  interesting 
and  soul-moving.  The  story  of  his  miseries  brought 
the  tears  into  her  eyes,  and  his  picture  of  what  he 
had  suffered  on  that  unhappy  night,  when  he  had 
rushed  out  of  the  house  and  left  her  insensible  upon 
the  sofa,  made  her  cling  to  his  hand  convulsively  and 
sob  outright. 

"  I  can  scarcely  believe  you  are  here,  —  quite  safe," 
she  would  say ;  "  you  might  have  killed  yourself." 

And  indeed  he  had  been  in  no  small  danger  of  so 
doing. 

Among  all  this,  however,  there  was  one  bit  of 
brightness,  —  a  wonderful  piece  of  news  he  told  her 
that  very  day  after  his  return.  Fortune  had,  with 
her  usual  caprice,  condescended  to  smile  upon  him 
at  last.  Incredible  as  it  appeared,  he  had  "  got  into 
something,"  and  this  "  something "  was  actually 
remunerative,  —  reasonably  remunerative,  if  not  ex 
travagantly  so.  Four  hundred  a  year  would  pay  the 
rent  of  the  figurative  house  in  Putney  or  elsewhere, 
and  buy  the  green  sofa  and  appurtenances,  at  least. 
Dolly  could  scarcely  believe  it,  and,  indeed,  he 
scarcely  believed  it  himself. 


382  VAGABONDIA. 

"  It  seemed  as  if,  when  I  had  lost  all  else,  this 
came  to  add  to  the  bitterness  of  the  loss,"  he  said. 
"  I  am  afraid  I  was  far  from  being  as  grateful,  at 
first,  as  I  ought  to  have  been.  I  could  only  remem 
ber  how  happy  such  luck  would  have  made  us 
both  if  it  had  only  come  a  year  or  so  earlier.  And 
the  very  day  I  got  the  place  I  passed  the  upholsterer's 
where  the  parlor  furniture  was,  —  green  sofa  and  all. 
And  I  went  home  with  the  firm  intention  of  blowing 
my  brains  out.  The  only  thing  that  saved  me  that 
day  was  the  fact  that  my  landlady  met  me  at  the 
door  with  a  miserable  story  about  her  troubles  and 
her  taxes,  and  by  the  time  I  had  listened  for  half  an 
hour,  and  done  something  she  wanted  done,  I  had 
cooled  down  a  little,  though  I  was  wretched  enough." 

c'  The  '  something '  was  paying  the  taxes,  was  n't 
it  ?  "  questioned  Dolly. 

"  Something  of  that  kind,"  admitted  Griffith. 

"Ah,"  said  Dolly,  "  I  thought  so." 

Very  naturally  Griffith  felt  some  slight  embarrass 
ment  on  encountering  Miss  MacDowlas,  having  a 
rather  unpleasant  recollection  of  various  incidents  of 
the  past.  But  Miss  Berenice  faced  the  matter  in  a 
different  manner  and  with  her  usual  decision  of  char 
acter.  She  had  made  up  her  mind  to  receive  Griffith 
Donne  as  a  respectable  fact,  and  then,  through  Dolly's 
eloquence,  she  had  learned  to  regard  him  with  even 
a  sort  of  affection,  —  a  vague  affection,  of  course,  at 


VAGABONDIA.  383 

the  outset,  but  one  which  would  ripen  with  time. 
Thus  she  rather  surprised  him  by  confronting  him 
upon  an  entirely  new  ground.  She  was  cordial  and 
amiable,  and  on  the  first  opportunity  she  explained 
her  change  of  feeling  with  great  openness. 

"  I  have  heard  so  much  of  you  from  Dolly,"  she 
said,  "  that  I  am  convinced  I  have  known  nothing  of 
you  before.  I  hope  we  shall  be  better  friends.  I  am 
very  fond  of  Dolly.  I  wish  I  had  known  her  three 
or  four  years  ago." 

And  there  was  such  a  softened  tenderness  in  her 
thin,  unpromising  face,  that  from  thenceforward  Grif 
fith's  doubts  were  removed  and  his  opinion  altered,  as 
hers  had  done.  The  woman  who  had  loved  and  pitied 
Dolly  when  she  so  sorely  needed  pity  arid  love,  must 
be  worthy  of  gratitude  and  affection. 

Phil  and  'Toinette  andMollie  arriving,  in  the  deepest 
affliction,  to  receive  Dolly's  last  farewell,  were  rather 
startled  by  the  turn  affairs  had  taken.  Changed  as 
she  was,  the  face  she  turned  to  greet  them  was  not 
the  face  of  a  dying  girl.  She  was  deplorably  pale 
and  shrunken  and  thin,  but  the  light  of  life  was  in 
her  eyes  and  a  new  ring  was  in  her  voice.  She  had 
vitality  enough  to  recognize  fresh  charms  in  Tod,  and 
spirit  enough  to  make  a  few  jokes. 

"  She  won't  die,"  commented  Phil  to  his  wife  when 
they  retired  to  their  room. 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Phil,  discreetly,  "  it  is  not  likely, 


384  VAGABONDIA. 

now  Grif  has  come  back.  But  it  won't  do  to  waste 
the  journey,  Phil,  so  we  may  as  well  stay  awhile.  We 
have  not  been  anywhere  out  of  London  this  summer." 

Accordingly,  with  their  usual  genius  for  utilizing 
all  things,  they  prolonged  their  visit  and  made  it  into 
a  kind  of  family  festival ;  and  since  their  anxiety  on 
Dolly's  behalf  was  at  an  end,  they  managed  to  enjoy 
it  heartily.  They  walked  here,  and  rode  there,  and 
explored  unheard-of  points  and  places  ;  they  kept  the 
quiet  people  in  the  quiet  hotel  in  a  constant  state  of 
pleasant  ferment  with  their  good  spirits  and  uncere 
monious  friendliness.  Mollie  and  Aimee  and  Mrs. 
Phil  excited  such  general  admiration  that  when  they 
made  their  appearance  at  the  table  d'hote  there  was  a 
visible  stir  and  brightening,  and  Dolly  was  so  con 
stantly  inquired  after,  that  there  were  serious  thoughts 
entertained  of  issuing  hourly  bulletins.  The  reaction 
of  high  spirits  after  their  fears  was  something  ex 
hilarating  even  to  beholders. 

And  while  they  enjoyed  themselves,  and  explored, 
and  instituted  a  high  carnival  of  innocent  rejoicing, 
Dolly  directed  all  her  energies  to  the  task  of  getting 
well  and  filling  Grif  s  soul  with  hope  and  bliss.  As 
soon  as  she  had  fully  recovered  they  were  to  be  mar 
ried, — not  a  day,  not  an  hour,  longer  would  Grif  con 
sent  to  wait.  His  only  trouble  was  that  she  would 
not  be  strong  enough  to  superintend  the  purchase  of 
the  green  sofa  and  appurtenances.  Aimee  had,  how- 


VAGABONDIA.  385 

ever,  proved  his  rock  of  refuge  as  usual.  They  were 
to  return  to  London  together  and  make  the  necessary 
preparations,  and  then  the  wedding  was  to  take  place 
in  Geneva,  and  the  bride  would  be  carried  home  in 
triumph. 

"  We  have  been  so  long  in  travelling  toward  the 
little  house  at  Putney  that  it  will  be  the  nicest 
bridal  tour  we  could  have,"  said  Dolly. 

Then,  of  course,  came  some  pleasant  excitement  in 
connection  with  the  trousseau,  in  which  everybody 
was  involved.  The  modest  hotel  had  never  before 
been  in  such  a  state  of  mind  through  secret  prepara 
tions,  as  it  was  when  Dolly  was  well  enough  to  sit 
up  and  walk  about  and  choose  patterns.  Her  instinct 
of  interest  in  worldly  vanities  sustained  that  young 
person  marvellously.  When  Grif  and  Aimee  had  re 
turned  to  London  she  found  herself  well  enough  to 
give  lengthy  audiences  to  Mrs.  Phil,  who,  with  Miss 
MacDowlas,  had  taken  the  business  of  purchasing  in 
hand,  and  to  discuss  fabrics  and  fashions  by  the  hour. 
She  remembered  Grif  s  enthusiasm  on  the  subject  of 
her  toilets,  and  she  was  wholly  ruled  by  a  secret  and 
laudable  ambition  to  render  herself  as  irresistible  as 
possible.  She  exercised  to  its  utmost  her  inventive 
genius,  and  lay  awake  at  night  to  devise  simple  but 
coquettish  feminine  snares  of  attire  to  delight  and 
bewilder  him  in  the  future. 

She  might  well  progress  rapidly  toward  health  and 
25 


386  VAGABONDTA. 

strength.  By  the  time  the  house  was  ready  for  her 
reception  she  was  well  enough  to  drive  out  and  ex 
plore  with  the  rest,  though  she  looked  frail  and 
unsubstantial  by  contrast  with  Mollie's  bloom  and 
handsome  Mrs.  Phil's  grand  curves.  She  was  gaining 
flesh  and  color  every  day,  but  the  slender  throat  and 
wrists  and  transparent  hands  were  a  bitter  reproach 
to  Grif  even  then,  and  it  would  be  many  weeks  before 
she  could  again  indulge  in  that  old  harmless  vanity 
in  her  dimples  and  smooth  roundness  of  form. 

Mollie  mourned  over  her  long,  in  secret,  and,  in 
deed,  was  so  heart-wrung  by  the  sight  of  the  change 
she  found  in  her,  that  the  very  day  of  her  arrival  had 
not  drawn  to  its  close  before  she  burst  upon  her  with 
a  remorseful  appeal  for  forgiveness. 

"  But  even  if  you  forgive  me  I  shall  not  forgive 
myself,"  she  said.  "  I  shall  never  forget  that  dread 
ful  night  when  I  found  out  that  it  was  all  my  fault, 
and  that  you  had  borne  everything  without  telling 
me.  If — if  it  had  not  been  for  —  for  Mr.  Go  wan, 
Dolly,  I  think  I  should  have  died." 

"  If  it  had  not  been  for  whom  ?  "  asked  Dolly. 

"  Mr.  Gowan,"  answered  Miss  Mollie,  dropping  her 
eyes,  her  very  throat  dyed  with  guilty  blushes. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Dolly.  "  And  what  did  Mr.  Gowan 
do,  Mollie?" 

"  He  was  very  kind  —  and  sympathizing,"  replied 
Mollie. 


VAGABONDIA.  387 

"  He  always  is  sympathizing,"  looking  at  her  with 
affectionate  shrewdness.  "  He  is  very  nice,  is  n't  he, 
Mollie  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Mollie.     "  Very  nice,  indeed." 

"And  I  dare  say  you  were  so  frightened  and 
wretched  that  you  cried  ? " 

"  Yes,"  confessed  the  abashed  catechised. 

"I  thought  so."  And  then,  conjuring  up  in  her 
mind's  eye  a  picture  of  Mollie,  heart-broken,  appeal 
ing  and  in  tears,  beauteous,  piteous,  and  grief-aban 
doned,  she  added,  with  tender  impulsiveness,  "  I  don't 
wonder  that  he  sympathized  with  you,  Mollie." 

It  revealed  itself  shortly  afterward  that  his  sym 
pathy  had  not  confined  itself  to  the  night  Mollie 
called  "  dreadful."  Since  that  night  he  had  been  a 
frequent  visitor  at  Bloomsbury  Place,  —  as  frequent 
a  visitor  as  he  had  been  in  the  days  when  Dolly  had 
been  wont  so  to  entertain  him. 


A  week  after  the  return  of  Aimee  and  Grif  from 
London,  there  fell  again  upon  the  modest  hotel  a 
hush ;  but  it  was  not  the  hush  of  sympathetic  silence 
which  had  fallen  upon  it  before,  —  it  was  merely  a 
sort  of  reaction  after  a  slight  excitement.  The  pretty 
English  girl  had,  to  every  one's  wonder,  suddenly 
returned  to  earth  and  had  been  married  !  The  wisest 
were  bewildered,  but  such  was  the  fact,  nevertheless ; 


388  VAGABONDIA. 

nobody  could  exactly  comprehend,  but  who  could 
deny  it  ?  It  was  a  mystery,  indeed,  until  one  day, 
some  time  after,  a  usually  phlegmatic  matron  was 
struck  with  an  idea,  and  accordingly  propounded  to 
her  friends  a  somewhat  vaguely  expressed  problem. 

"  After  the  appearance  of  the  lover  one  heard  no 
more  that  she  was  dying?" 

"Just  so." 

"  Perhaps  the  lover  had  something  to  do  with  the 
matter  ? " 

"Ah!" 

"  Perhaps  she  was  dying  for  him,  and  his  coming 
cured  her  ? " 

"Exactly.     That  must  have  been  the  case." 

And  thenceforth  the  matter  was  deemed  settled. 
However,  the  gay,  light-hearted  party  of  English  had 
taken  their  departure,  —  the  friendly  young  artist 
who  sketched  and  smoked  and  enjoyed  himself;  his 
handsome  young  wife,  who  sketched  and  played  with 
her  handsome  child,  and  enjoyed  herself ;  the  beauti 
ful  younger  sister,  who  blushed  and  was  charmingly 
bashful,  but  enjoyed  herself;  the  fair  little  saint  with 
the  grave  youthful  face,  who  took  care  of  them  all, 
and  yet  enjoyed  herself,  —  the  lover,  the  elder  lady, 
the  guest  who  came  to  be  groomsman,  the  bride,  — 
they  were  all  gone  at  last,  and  their  absence  was  the 
cause  of  the  hush  of  which  I  speak. 

There    had    been   a   wedding,  —  a  joyous,   light- 


VAGABONDIA.  389 

hearted  wedding,  in  which  the  bride  had  looked  pretty 
and  flower-like  and  ethereal,  —  a  fragile  creature 
enough  in  her  white  dress  and  under  her  white  veil, 
but  a  delightfully  happy  creature,  notwithstanding, 
—  in  which  the  bridegroom  had  been  plainly  filled 
with  chivalric  tenderness  and  bliss,  —  in  which  the 
two  sisters  had  been  charming  beyond  measure,  and 
the  awkward,  affectionate  girl  friend  from  the  semi 
nary  had  blushed  herself  into  a  high  fever.  There 
could  not  have  been  a  more  prettily  orthodox  wed 
ding,  said  the  beholders.  Somehow  its  glow  of 
young  romance  touched  people,  it  was  so  evident 
that  the  young  couple  were  fond  of  each  other,  and 
happy  arid  hopeful.  There  were  those  who,  seeing 
it  solemnized  in  the  small  church,  shed  a  few  tears, 
they  knew  not  why,  when  Grif  lifted  Dolly's  veil 
and  kissed  her  without  a  word. 

"  It  is  all  rose  color  to  them,"  said  one  of  these 
soft-hearted  ones,  apologetically,  to  her  neighbor. 

Eose  color  !     I  should  think  it  was. 

But  if  it  was  all  rose  color  then,  what  was  it  that 
first  evening  they  spent  at  home,  —  in  their  own 
home,  in  the  little  house  which  was  so  bright  and 
pretty  that  it  seemed  more  like  a  dream  than  a 
reality?  What  color  did  life  look  when  Grif  led 
Dolly  across  the  threshold,  half  trembling  himself  for 
very  joy  ?  What  color  did  it  look  when  he  shut  the 
door  of  the  little  parlor,  and,  turning  round,  went  to 


390  VAGABONDIA. 

her  and  folded  her  in  his  arms  close  to  his  beating 
heart  ? 

Eose  color !  It  was  golden  and  more  than  golden !, 
And  yet,  for  the  first  minute,  Dolly  could  not  speak; 
and  the  next  she  laid  her  cheek  in  her  favorite  place, 
on  the  lapel  of  Grif's  coat,  and  burst  into  a  great  gush 
of  soft,  warm  tears,  —  tears  without  a  touch  of  any 
other  element,  however,  than  love  and  happiness. 

"  Home,  Grif ! "  she  said. 

He  was  quite  pale  and  he  had  almost  lost  his  voice, 
too,  but  he  managed  to  answer  her,  unsteadily. 

"  Yes,  Dolly,"  he  said ;  "  home  ! "  And  he  stroked 
the  bright  hair  upon  his  breast,  with  a  world  of 
meaning  in  his  touch. 

"  Do  you  think,"  she  said  next,  "  that  I  am  good 
enough  and  wise  enough  to  take  care  of  it,  and  to 
take  care  of  you,  Grif?" 

"  Do  you  think,"  he  said,  "  that  I  am  good  enough 
and  wise  enough  to  take  care  of  you?" 

She  lifted  up  her  face  and  kissed  him. 

"  We  love  each  other,"  she  whispered,  "  we  trust 
each  other,  and  so  we  can  help  each  other,  and  God 
will  help  us  both.  Ah,  Grif,  how  bright  and  sweet 
life  is!" 

And  she  scarcely  knew,  tender  little  soul,  that 
instead  of  "life"  she  should  have  said  "love." 


VA  GAB  ONDIA.  391 

There  we  will  leave  them  both,  merely  hinting  at 
the  festivities  that  followed,  —  merely  hinting  at  the 
rejoicings  at  Bloomsbury  Place,  the  gatherings  at 
Brabazon  Lodge,  and  the  grand  family  reception  at 
the  house  of  the  bride,  —  a  reception  at  which  Dolly 
shone  forth  with  renewed  splendor,  presiding  over  a 
gorgeous  silver  tea-service,  which  was  one  of  Miss 
MacDowlas's  many  gifts,  dispensing  tea  and  coffee 
with  the  deportment  of  a  housekeeper  of  many  years' 
standing,  and  utterly  distracting  Grif  with  her  ma 
tronly  airs  and  graces. 

Vagabondia  was  itself  again  in  these  days,  but  it 
was  turning  its  brighter  side  outward.  Phil  was 
winning  success,  too,  his  position  in  the  world  of  art 
was  becoming  secured,  and  Bloomsbury  Place  was  to 
be  touched  up  and  refurnished  gradually,  Aimee 
had  promised  to  make  her  home  with  Dolly  until 
such  time  as  her  sweet  little  saint's  face  won  her 
a  home  of  her  own.  Miss  MacDowlas  had  been 
adopted  int.)  the  family  circle,  and  was  conscious  of 
being  happier  than  she  had  ever  felt  since  her  long- 
past  youth  slipped  from  her  grasp.  Tod's  teeth  were 
"  through,"  as  Mrs.  Phil  phrased  it,  and  convulsions 
had  not  supervened,  to  the  ecstasy  of  his  anxious 
admirers.  And  Mollie,  —  well,  Mollie  waltzed  with 
Ralph  Go  wan  again  on  the  night  of  Dolly's  reception, 
and  when  the  dance  was  at  an  end,  she  went  and 
seated  herself  near  her  hostess  upon  the  green  sofa  — 


392  VAGABONDIA. 

it  was  a  green  sofa,  though  a  far  more  luxurious  one 
than  Dolly  and  Grif  had  ever  dared  to  set  their 
hearts  upon  in  the  olden  days. 

"  Dolly,"  she  said,  blushing  for  the  last  time  in  this 
history  of  mine,  and  looking  down  at  her  bouquet  of 
waxen- white  camellias  and  green  leaves,  —  "  Dolly,  I 
suppose  Aimee  has  told  you  that  I  am  engaged  to  — 
to  —  " 

"  To  Mr.  Go  wan,"  suggested  Dolly. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Mollie,  "  to  Mr.  Gowan." 


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In  the  Sixties 1.50 

The  above  four  volumes  are  is  sued  in  a  handsome  uniform  binding, 
gilt  top,  deckle  edges,  etc. 

Marsena,  and  Other  Stories   .         .         .  $1.00 

The  Copperhead i.oo 

In  the  Valley.      Illustrated  Edition.     With 

1 6  full-page  illustrations  by  HOWARD  PYLE  1.50 


"  Mr.  Frederic's  stories  of  the  wartime  ('/«  the 
Sixties')  are  constructed  thoughtfully  and  written 
admirably.  They  are  full  of  feeling" 

— New  York  Evening  Post. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers ;  published  by 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

J53-J57  FIFTH  AVFJSIUE  NEW  YORK 


- 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


REC'O  LI 
OCT  1 2-65  -I 


LD  21-100m-9,'47(A5702sl6)476 


YB    73164 


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